As a comic book producer and the VO Strategist, I do a lot of advertising on Facebook and my online security is very important to me.
I’ve been doing it for a few years and it has had a huge impact on my business for the better. With Facebook recently being in the news regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, I’ve taken a step back to examine how we as voice talents, businesses, and consumers navigate the Internet in general and how social media platforms affect that navigation in particular.
My Agent 1.22 partner and longtime composer Angelo Panetta never uses Facebook or Google to log into a third-party website or app. Why? Because when you use Facebook or Google to login, that third party has access to some, if not all, of your data on those social media platforms.
While it is convenient to use Facebook, Google, or Twitter to log in to third-party sites & apps so you have less passwords to keep track of, do you mind if those third parties have access to all of that personal data about you, what you buy, and what websites you visit? Do you mind if your data is being used to put more ads in front of you that you may be interested in?
Data collection like this can be a Win/Win if it’s done responsibly with regards to online security. The businesses win because they can hone in on their target demographics without having to cast a wide net like they used to. The consumers win because they are more likely to see ads they actually want to see. The challenge is for the consumer to control their online data to their satisfaction and for the businesses to not only not harvest data the consumer doesn’t want harvested, but also to protect the consumers’ data they do harvest in case of hacking, malware, spyware, identity theft, etc.
TIP OF THE WEEK
If you to want improve your online security and increase your level of privacy; don’t use Facebook, Google, or Twitter to log on to a third-party website or app. Many voice talents are on multiple social media platforms and casting sites both large & small. Have a system in place to track & secure your passwords. There are many apps out there to help you do just that, but make sure your login information for that website or app is super-secure!
NEWS AND NOTES
Thursday, March 29th @8PM EST: my next Edge Studio “Marketing 201” webinar topic will be ‘What Your Website Says About You’. Click here to sign up.
Thursday, April 12nd @8PM EST: my next Edge Studio “Business and Money 201” webinar topic will be ‘Workflow’. We’re going to talk about how to improve your business physically, digitally, and mentally. Click here to sign up.
Tuesday, April 24th @7PM EST: Having trouble getting everything done? Don’t know how to organize your day? At Abacus Entertainment I will teach the seminar ‘Time Management for your VO Business’ about how to prioritize your, um, priorities! Click here to sign up.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Nougat Day and Manatee Appreciation Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, The H is Silent, but I’m Not.
Tom Dheere is a 20+year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a coach at Edge Studio, voiceover business consultant known as the Voice Over Strategist, and is currently producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.
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