A few weeks ago, I was asked by new author, Ben Woelk (who some in the tech comm field will recognize as a leader in our STC community) to review his new book in the Guru Guides series called Shockproofing Your Use of Social Media: Staying Safe Online. I’ve been busy trying to keep up with work, and finally had an opportunity to read the book.
The book is actually very short, but jam-packed with useful information. Ben is in charge of internet security at Rochester Institute of Technology, so I think he’s got a pretty good idea of what he’s talking about. This is a subject that he speaks about regularly at STC gatherings when he can, and he’s always got good information and insight. This short volume is no different. Ben covers internet security related to social media, but many of his tips and suggestions easily can be carried over into other online experiences, like shopping and banking. In fact, after reading his book, I used one of his tips about passwords when having to change my credit card password for the umpteenth time today. His tips are practical, easy, and he also makes suggestions for free or low-cost solutions to safeguard your information.
As I mentioned, this is a slim volume, so I was able to read the entire book in less than an hour, but it’s organized in a way that you could read the entire book in a sitting, or use it as a handy reference for specific topics. It works either way easily.
The one thing that I hope will be done going forward is that there will be frequent updates to this guide. As I read it, I realized that some of this information may be dated in a year or so, since both social media and OS platforms update and change quickly over a short period of time. Making frequent updates–or new editions of the book–will ensure that the information stays fresh and relevant. For the moment, this is a brand-new book, so the information is good!
At this writing, the book is available on Amazon.com on sale for a mere $0.99 (USD), and will go up in a day or so back to its original price of $2.99. Either way, even at full price, it’s a BARGAIN for invaluable information that can help protect your identity!
I highly recommend this book. Go check it out!
TechCommGeekMom 
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