Terms of service, also commonly known as terms of use and also often abbreviated as ToS, are rules regarding the use of a certain service, including websites. Almost every website has a page dedicated to ToS which highlights the guidelines and policies governing its use.

However, the sad part is that a lot of people often do not pay attention to ToS. Most websites, such as Google and Yahoo have a long list of terms and conditions that people often end up accepting without even sparing a proper glance to the clauses mentioned in them.

This is a common practice everywhere, mainly due to the fact that people consider going through a huge list of policies a waste of time. Nevertheless, this behavior can be really dangerous as the failure to properly read the ToS can cause big problems.

When you join a website or hire the services of a company, a contract is said to have been signed between the two of you. When you sign or accept their policies, it is assumed that you have gone through them and are required by law to follow them in all regards.

In most cases, when people fail to properly read the ToS, they run the risk of getting into trouble due to their neglect. Take as example an ecommerce website that allows sellers and buyers to easily buy and sell their used products on one platform. When a buyer or a seller joins such a website, the website will generally require them, to approve its ToS in order to be a member.

Say the user neglects the points in the ToS and approves it, not knowing what exactly is in the contract. The seller gets in touch with a buyer and sells a product for $50 thinking he would make a profit of $5 on it. The seller is happy because he knows that he has sold the product while sitting at home and the money he will receive is guaranteed.

However, he receives only $45 in his account instead of the assumed amount of $50. This is when the trouble begins. Such problems are pretty common and a great number of people have to deal with them on a regular basis, only due to their willful neglect.

Say the seller failed to read the policy that highlights the fact that the company will charge 10% of the selling price as commission. Hence, the seller only received $45 after the deduction. This may cause a loss to the seller because the profit he expected on the sale has been lost.

This example clearly highlights how ignorance can cause big trouble. If the seller had gone through the ToS, clearly he or she could’ve charged a little higher to make some profit. In the same way, there can be other kinds of losses as well. Many users lose their accounts on websites due to the failure of abiding by the ToS, which they do not even go through.

In order to be on the safe side, it is important that you read the ToS, or at least glance over them briefly, before giving your approval. You cannot really comply with the policies until you know them.

Without much ado, let us present you with tips on sharing data on social networking sites like Orkut, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others.

Understand the Policies

The first step is to understand the social networking platforms’ terms and conditions regarding sharing data online. Almost all social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have strong policies governing the sharing of various types of data, including images and videos.

It is important to go through this information and to follow it, in order to be on the safe side. More often than not, people accept the ToS without actually going through the details, not realizing the risks they may be exposed to. The best practice is to clearly understand the policies and follow them as closely as possible.

These policies are prepared keeping in mind the users’ best interests. Some may find them unjustified and worthless; however, in most cases they have proven to be beneficial.

Use Privacy Protection

Almost all social networking sites have privacy protection tools that the users need to be aware of. Facebook, for example, has extensive information on user privacy. The social networking site allows users to decide how the information is shared.

The website allows users to choose who can view and comment on status.es, images and videos. Additionally, the tagging option found on Facebook should also be paid attention to as a tag may make your image or status open for the general public to see.

Quite often, websites change their privacy settings that are updated by default. It is important to be in touch with the happenings and make changes accordingly. In addition to Facebook, other social networking sites such as Orkut and Twitter also have their own privacy tools. For example: You can select who can view your scrapbook on Orkut from the privacy settings option.

Know What and How You Are Sharing

It is very important to be clear about these two points. As mentioned above, quite often, our images and videos become public without us knowing about it. For example: All the images on the Facebook cover photos are public. This means that anyone can view and download these images in high quality. Facebook currently does not offer privacy in this regard.

To be on the safe side, you should not upload personal images as cover pictures. If you wish to share such images, you can make a new album and use customized privacy settings in it. In the same way, Twitter also offers privacy regarding who may be able to follow you and get access to your updates.

It is very important to be aware of who can see your information. Most social networking sites offer customized options in this regard that allow users to control their data in a better way.

These are some of the most important tips about the use of social networking sites. In case your files are extremely personal and may cause some sort of damage, it is suggested that you do not share such information via open platforms. You may use e-mails or personal messaging service for such matters so that the risk of the information reaching the wrong hands is minimized.

Nonetheless, there lie some best practices that need to be kept in mind during this time period as well. One of the rules is to know the limitations and not break boundaries. There are some international war rules and regulations that need to be followed. The failure to do so can result in major punishment for those involved.

People realized the need to have war crime rules due to the deaths and horrible incidents that resulted mainly from the two World Wars. Many countries have their own war crime rules that are prepared keeping their sentiments and culture in mind.

The law says that people bearing a flag of truce should not be killed or attacked. Using the same flag as a ruse of war is also prohibited. If any soldier kills any person in such a situation then the solider will be brought in the court of law.

Additionally, law also stops nations from mistreating prisoners. This problem was brought to notice several decades ago, mainly during World War II when countries used to brutally torture war prisoners by using horrendous techniques. Soldiers were kept hungry and often thirsty to an extent that many died out of hunger and thirst.

These problems made people realize the need to have laws about mistreatment of war prisoners. Under this law war prisoners would be treated properly keeping human rights in mind. Their property (other than guns, etc.) remains their property and they are considered prisoners of the state.

America recently received a lot of flak for its treatment of prisoners in Afghanistan and Guantanamo. This backlash forced former American President, Bush, to rescind the Geneva Convention requirements and announce new procedures regarding the treatment of war prisoners. Many organizations are still working hard towards improving the conditions that war prisoners live in.

In addition to these, the law also prohibits massacres, genocides and the killing of the innocent.  The law requires soldiers to look after the wounded and take care of them. Additionally, dead should be honorably interred according to the religion they belong to. The law also requires dead bodies to be returned to the other nation so that the last rituals may be performed.

In addition to these, several other acts are also considered war crimes such as pillage. Plus, soldiers and commanders are also required to follow the orders of their seniors, the failure of doing which may put them into trouble. Naval bombardments without warning, using heavy weapons that are not allowed and the failure to inform the right parties are also included.

It is important that everyone involved in a war obey all these rules and make sure that no one is being robbed of their due share unnecessarily.  War is not good, yet, by breaking laws we make it even worse.

Many people have often questioned its privacy policy and the dangers associated with using the network. To its credit, the social networking site has a set of rules and terms and conditions that a lot number of people pay no heed to.

Yet, there is need to have some best-practices in practice so that the negative effects of the SNS can be eliminated. Given below are some important tips that you can utilize.

Check All the Privacy Options

Many people think that the biggest problem with Facebook is the fact that it keeps on changing its privacy policy and other terms and conditions on a regular basis. On its part the SNS says that it takes such steps only to improve user experience. However, these changes often result in trouble for the users.

Hence, it is important for every user to keep a tab on all the privacy options. This can be done by accessing the privacy zone and taking a look at the settings. Make sure all your data and information is private with no chances of anyone intruding it.

Add People Carefully

Do not go on a barrage adding every Tom, Dick and Harry. Many people on Facebook enjoy having hundreds of friends. Socializing may be a good idea, but not until you know whom you are socializing with.

Refrain from sending friend requests to people you may not know. Additionally, do not accept every friend request you receive. In case you think you may know someone you can always send the person a Private Message (PM) to inquire about the same.

Be Careful About What You Are Sharing

It is alright to share videos, images and other such information on Facebook as long as you know who can access it. You should make sure you know who has access to the files you upload to stop strangers from accessing them.

Facebook gives privacy features where you can stop strangers and even people in your friend list from commenting on your files or even accessing them. Make sure you make good use of this important tool so that there is no risk of anyone causing any damage.

Don’t Click on Every Link

In recent times, one of the biggest problems that have been reported on Facebook is the availability of spam and links that contain viruses. Such links can infect your computer and cause serious damage to the data you have. To stay away from such trouble make sure you do not click on any link that looks suspicious to you. In case you come across any such links you can also report it to the Facebook management by using the Report button so that it can be taken care of.

These are some important tips that you should keep in mind. They will allow you to enjoy Facebook in the best way without worrying about anything.

As the chief officer or owner of a particular company or organization, it becomes mandatory for you to keep your customers and business safe. The reason for protecting vital information is quite uncomplicated. Your business stays out of harm’s way and your customers are satisfied enough to tell others of your competence.

If in any case you’re unable to protect your company’s information systems, you can become an easy target for rivals who want to bring your business down. This may also lead to a loss of customers and gradually, the word of your ineptitude would spread throughout the business world.

Following are a few ways you can inculcate best practices in privacy within your organization.

An Easy Privacy Statement

By making sure that the privacy statement drafted by your organization is easily comprehensible, you’d be taking your first step towards success. When your customer is able to read your statement without any difficulty, a bond of mutual trust is established. The consumer will believe that his or her investments and information are in your safe possession won’t be misused at any stage.

Never Forget to Notify your Customers

Whenever there’s a change within the policies of your business, be sure to notify your customers on an immediate basis. In events of bankruptcy and mergers, your customers need to know what will happen to their investments. They’ll also need to know where exactly that they’re personal information is being transferred. If a new organization is taking over the business, customers have the right to know that their information will be processed with safety and privacy.

Website Data Collection

Keep in mind that the information that you’ve collected or are about to collect from your customers must be limited in size. This means that your company’s website should only ask for information that’s relevant for the product or service you’re offering. If you provide details of why a particular piece of information is needed, your consumers will be satisfied and keener on providing you with what you’ve asked.

The last change, introduction of timeline with new security features, has yet to be fully implemented; however, regular visitors are already busy discussing the negative impacts that the new system has.

Some have already called it a bad move, and predict a morbid future for the social networking site. The internet is abuzz with people looking for best practices so that they can stop intruders from landing on their personal Facebook accounts.

The introduction of Timeline and Open Graph hasn’t gone too well with the advocates of privacy. Some best practices to overcome these issues on the social networking sites are:

-   Do not upload private photos as the cover picture, because the cover photos are visible to all the users, who may even download it in high quality.

-   Do no put private images as the display picture, as they are visible to everyone.

-   Do not tag your friends in pictures or videos that are visible to others. Also, request your friends not to tag you in private pictures/albums or videos, as they may be visible to everyone.

-  Using the latest privacy option, disable all past posts so that those who are not in your friend list can not see them.

-  Do not share any private information on the wall (your or your friends), until you have chosen the option to disable the post from strangers.

-  Share personal images or videos by uploading them in a proper album and using privacy to hide them from others (including some of your friends, if you want to).

-  If you want to share anything personal, use Facebook private message option. However, remember that the messages once sent cannot be deleted.

-  Hide your timeline from strangers by using the Facebook privacy settings. By using the same settings, you may disable strangers from sending you ‘add requests’ or ‘personal messages.

-  From the ‘Edit Profile’ menu, disable who can see your friend list and other information, such as your birthday and hometown.

-  Disable applications from sending your private information to anyone from the privacy settings.

- Choose your friends carefully. Do not add or accept random people. This is what Facebook also considers a ‘best practice’.

Many people following these simple practices fully enjoy the excellent services that Facebook offers. Make sure you tighten security from your side, until Facebook comes with another foolproof plan. Nevertheless, most practices mentioned above are applicable in all the scenarios where you wish to keep your information confidential.

Almost every technologically able house in this world is hooked on Facebook these days. And so, business owners and managerial personnel tend to connect with their customers through social media. What many people fail to recognize is the fact that a lot of personal information is released on Facebook that can be easily compromised. Consumer information like credit card history and other electronic codes are stored in the social media and can be easily accessed by anyone intending on committing fraud.

Therefore, the need to protect consumer privacy has increased even more than ever before. When someone creates an account on socializing websites like Facebook, it begins a process known as “instant personalization”. This process enables other websites to access your key information.

For example, when you’ve clicked on an advertisement being displayed on the website, you’re automatically taken to another linked site that has access to vital information like your name and address for emailing. This also enables a website to search into your browser history looking for websites where you’ve purchased something online and given your details of the credit card.

Through ‘instant personalization’ Facebook is allowing precious consumer information to be distributed among the public.

Furthermore, about more than a hundred million Facebookers are facing the risk of being targeted by a virus named as “Koobface”. This virus sends messages to inboxes of the users and claims to be sent by someone you know i.e. a friend from Facebook.

Users are requested to click on a particular link stating the presence of videos that feature them. Comments such as you’re looking funny or awesome seem to attract a user to click on a video that’s titled with a pseudonym.

When a particular user tries to watch his so-called video, an option for downloading the most recent version of the Adobe flash player is introduced. Hence by clicking on the download link, the virus spreads through his or her computer. The virus lays low until you’ve made an online purchase and uses your card details to commit deceit.

Companies that use digital services for advertising, information collection and connecting with its customers tend to be far more successful than the ones who don’t. The reason is simple. It is because almost everyone possessing a computer or digital service at home is able to connect to the world.

This connection leads to the sharing of views and reviews about different products ranging from magazine issues to the discussion on new or old policies implemented by a company or an organization. For example, a company selling iPods can be informed by its customers whether the product is working efficiently or running a fault.

The quick reaction to a customer complaint e.g. placing a replacement order or reimbursement etc. increases the company’s credibility and through the spreading range of social networks, the word of efficiency will reach users everywhere. The future of your company will change directions in minutes due to the growing social networks.

Creating a website for your company is no big deal but it has to be different than the rest of the million websites hovering over the internet. Use techniques like personalization where you can start blogs or articles written by your company personnel. You could also use your website for company press releases so that your customers don’t have to wander on other sites for information on their company products.

With the latest versions of online tools and research gadgets, your customers and business partners can understand your company policies better and compliance would become easier. Transactions and meetings can be done online, thereby saving a lot of time. Video conferences are popular forms of meetings now days.

• If the organization has had an established network for many years, assessing whether it still meets with the expectations is an essential best practice. This is because the organization must have undergone significant changes. A thorough research, time-to-time, will be very beneficial.
• An annual network conference will help key personnel involved to discuss and debate major issues with the networking. This will also help make necessary changes in policies and establish new ones to ensure compliance with best practices.
• Networks used by senior staffs should support local management activities. This best practice will enable mobility, cross communication and learning from one another.
• Senior managers must engage with the network at various levels to get enlightened about concerns and ideas. This will help with improvements within the organization through effective risk management and decision making.
• Host workshops and presentations about networking skills, mentoring, presentation skills, negotiating skills, mind mapping and career.
• Educate staff about maintaining a balance between work and the personal life.
• Encourage managers to come together through the network to build local networks and liaise with other workers with the same the organization, or different organizations.
• Use best practices like networking skills and strategies to connect with international or multinational organizations.
• Encourage managers and key personnel to represent the networks to broaden the scope and profile of the enterprise.
• Organize management training for line managers handling networking in the organization. This can also be cross-organizational training sessions.
• Introduce mentoring and training sessions to educate the staff about networking.
• Organize mentoring sessions to facilitate career development in employees.
• Implement compliance the use of CD’s and DVD’s to train employees.

Other Best Practices

• Evaluate and establish a list of issues to be handled within the organization’s network.
• Establish a transparent network system allowing stakeholders track and develop plans for the organization.
• Use best practices for internal communication channels to facilitate accessibility to existing programs.
• Encourage the IT department to develop new programs to improve the system. This will also help tackle problems and issues encountered in the network.
• Extend training to recruit people with skills. This best practice is rarely used, but can prove effective in the hunt for people with potential.
• Provide the staff with flexible working hours. This is a best practice that encourages people to work at odd hours as well. People studying while working can also be employed through compliance with this recommended best practice.

Business using cloud computing and social networking should ensure compliance with these best practices. These practices are the key to business continuity.

Local SEO Empowerment

Google’s Search Engine Result Page (SERP) presents a list of Google Places when one enters keywords. The results on the screen also show places that Google users use frequently. This has become possible after SEOmoz did some research to make Google better and logical. Therefore, if your business setup depends on local listings, you must increase your ranking at Google Places. This can be achieved through the following best practices:

• Citation: Make sure that your business gets listed in as many sources on the internet. Remember that consistency is the key to SEO. They keyword you use on Google Places must be the same one used on other listings. This will make sure your page is among the top ten search results using your keyword.
• Google Places Optimization: Ensure that your page is optimized using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices. This includes making sure that the categories match, and direct the user to city-specific landing page.
• Reviews: Reviews from Google about your business will be the only ones displayed on Google. Therefore, using other services like Superpages, Yelp and others is helpful. It will increase the ranking of your business drastically.

Social Networks

Without social media, there is no SEO. It is the latest trend nowadays. Using Twitter, Facebook and others influences SEO ranking. The recommended approach for this is to include social cues into your web page. This increases information sharing which improves SEO. Google and other search engines will pick up your keywords much quicker.

People Also Use Keywords

There are robots that use keywords, but it is a recommended to focus on the fact that humans also use keywords. You must anticipate questions people ask and use your keywords accordingly. This ensures that search engines show your page, when questions related to your business are asked.

Content Works Magic

It is important that you should focus on the content rather than spam links. These best practices have a long-term effect on SEO. Make sure the writing is good enough to be spread across the internet. Write target blogs to match your area of expertise.

Backend

It is recommended to use a simple and precise backend that matches your niche. The backend can tell search engines what your website is about. This increases its ranking when the matching words are typed by search engine users.

Use KPIs

Making sure the data comprises of keywords is an important practice. However, using Key Performance Indicators is also important for improving SEO ranking. KPI tells the number of landing pages, bounce rate and number of keywords driving the traffic to specific landing pages. Use this data to improve your ranking.

These are the most recommended SEO best practices for every business enterprise.