Social media security: leveraging social networking while mitigating risk

"Technology has become less about connecting computers, and more about connecting people. A major reason for this evolution is that the use of social media has exploded in the last few years, making it easier for individuals and businesses to contact others and get their messages across to large audiences. According to a July 2012 study by the McKinsey Global Institute, there are 1.5 billion people using social networking throughout the world, with 80% of them interacting regularly with other social media users. Its popularity and the drive to reach to customers has lead to 70% of companies using social media. Social technology has become a way of life in how we socialize and do business. However, while social media is a powerful tool for interacting with others, many people and organizations have jumped into using it without considering the risks. The threats you face can affect your safety, your job and your business. In this book, we'll show you how to deal with the potential dangers, but before that, let's start by understanding what social media is and how it's evolved"--

Social networks, particularly public ones, have become part of the fabric of how we communicate and collaborate as a society. With value from micro-level personal networking to macro-level outreach, social networking has become pervasive in people's lives and is now becoming a significant driving force in business. These new platforms have provided new approaches to many critical enterprise functions, including identifying, communicating, and gathering feedback with customers (e.g., Facebook, Ning); locating expertise (e.g., LinkedIn); providing new communication platforms (e.g., Twitter); and collaborating with a community, small or large (e.g., wikis). However, many organizations have stayed away from potential benefits of social networks because of the significant risks associated with them. This book will help an organization understand the risks present in social networks and provide a framework covering policy, training and technology to address those concerns and mitigate the risks presented to leverage social media in their organization. The book also acknowledges that many organizations have already exposed themselves to more risk than they think from social networking and offers strategies for "dialing it back" to retake control -- page 4 of cover.

What is social media?-- Opportunities of social media -- Employment and social media -- Considerations for setting up social media -- Being bold versus being overlooked -- Risks of social media -- The dark side -- Risk management -- Policies and privacy - Security --Where do we go from here?

1. What is social media? -- 2. Opportunities of social media -- 3. Employment and social media -- 4. Considerations for setting up social media -- 5. Being bold versus being overlooked -- 6. Risks of social media -- 7. The dark side -- 8. Risk management -- 9. Policies and privacy -- 10. Security -- 11. Where do we go from here?