How to Kill A Community
With all of the fantastic platforms popping up to increase communication with your community – including what might just be the next thing to transform the Church called ShadeTree (http://getshadetree.com/) it is important that we first understand what will Kill an online community fast. While many folks are offering solutions on how to grow your community from 100-500% … what they are not teaching is the simple rules to keep folks engaged.
So if you want to kill your online community – just follow these simple tasks to the letter.
- Don’t Moderate. If you consider everything that someone says to be sacred and worth something – then good speech has lessened worth. People hate hearing arguments online – (believe me I have been party to just a few – even instigated some…). Allowing folks to show their ignorance, stupidity, hatred, lack of a controlled tongue, etc… only will cause those who want to follow a good source of information to run quickly away from your community… But it’s okay the advertisers will continue to visit and post…
- Allow Spam Through. I love reading all the notes about a Bridge in Brooklyn I can buy, the church or ministry that does not really exist but needs my hard earned money, etc… By allowing these guys -even if they are well written spam, to sit and spend time on your site – anything you do want to have traction will not… What you are selling or offering has no value in the miry of spam … AND other spammers will take note and begin to target your site as well- after all they are happy to have a new community to go and bug – even if it’s dying.
- Force Signup. There are a ton of useful services like Gravatar, OpenID and others.. While its okay to moderate – one should never have to create an account, upload a picture, create a username, etc. After all, People love belonging… and your club is better than the rest … RIGHT?
- Random Junk from Around the Web. Go around and make sure you pounce your URL all over another persons blog, their dig posts, Delicious links -and of course – Let us not forget the holy grail of the web… SlashDot. After all it will get you more traffic…
- Design Like a highschool girls bedroom . BUTTONS BUTTONS BUTTONS, STICKERS STICKERS and… you guessed it – MORE STICKERS. Make sure you offer every single possible login system such as twitter, openID, google friend, AOL, yahoo, Facebook, and… of course MySPACE – because we all know your space is the new MySpace. eople love visiting a site where they can’t navigate … . It needs plenty of Buttons. People love options after all.
1024 is safe for now … but 768-bit RSA: Owned
Double check your SSL Certs… at minimum they should be 1024 – or even better 2048…
With the increasing computing power available to even casual users, the security-conscious have had to move on to increasingly robust encryption, lest they find their information vulnerable to brute-force attacks. The latest milestone to fall is 768-bit RSA; in a paper posted on a cryptography preprint server, academic researchers have now announced that they factored one of these keys in early December.
Most modern cryptography relies on single large numbers that are the product of two primes. If you know the numbers, it’s relatively easy to encrypt and decrypt data; if you don’t, finding the numbers by brute force is a big computational challenge. But this challenge gets easier every year as processor speed and efficiency increase, making “secure” a bit of a moving target. The paper describes how the process was done with commodity hardware, albeit lots of it.
Their first step involved sieving, or identifying appropriate integers; that took the equivalent of 1,500 years on one core of a 2.2GHz Opteron; the results occupied about 5TB. Those were then uniqued and processed into a matrix; because of all the previous work, actually using the matrix to factor the RSA value only took a cluster less than half a day. Although most people aren’t going to have access to these sorts of clusters, they represent a trivial amount of computing power for many organizations. As a result, the authors conclude, “The overall effort is sufficiently low that even for short-term protection of data of little value, 768-bit RSA moduli can no longer be recommended.” 1024-bit values should be good for a few years still.
Given that these developments are somewhat inevitable, even the authors sound a bit bored by their report. “There is nothing new to be reported for the square root step, except for the resulting factorization of RSA-768″ they write. “Nevertheless, and for the record, we present some of the details.” Still, they manage to have a little fun, in one place referencing a YouTube clip of a Tarantino film following their use of the term “bingo.”
via: http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/01/768-bit-rsa-cracked-1024-bit-safe-for-now.ars
doing your part to stop Denial of Service
Virtually every organization that operates a network connected to the Internet has the ability to serve as an unwitting participant in DoS (denial of Service) attacks. There are simple steps that can be taken to ensure that you are a good net citizen in fact just two will help a great deal.
- Implement Egress Filtering to Stop Spoofed IP Packets from Leaving Your Network
- Stop Your Network from Being Used as a Broadcast Amplification Site
Imagine if every datacenter, broadband and Network provider implemented the broad application of these two steps: The end result would be a significant reduction to the threat posed by DoS Attacks.
Ok – so now your convinced — but how do I implement this? - well I am glad you asked.
I. Implement Egress Filtering to Stop Spoofed IP Packets from Leaving Your Network
- Stop Spoofed IP Packets @ the Edge: The purpose to implement Egress Filtering to Stop Spoofed IP Packets from Leaving Your Network is so that you can prevent forged communications leaving your network. These are often used in DoS attacks. This is a simple process – just ensure that your routers and firewalls are configured to only forward packets if those packets have the correct Source IP address local to your network. These of course would be IP’s that are in your BGP and or ARIN (or ISP) assigned network. While it is important to do this throughout your network, the network edge connection(s) are essential to have this protection, if you are going to be a good net-citizen.
- : Deny Invalid Source IP Addresses: Imagine if all organizations only allowed the traffic leaving their network if it had a valid Source IP address that belonged to that network. While this is not a full-proof way of stopping DoS – it would make finding the organization responsible much easier. This is a simple process – just permit all valid IP addresses access to the Internet via your firewall, gateway and routers – and Deny all other source addresses including private and Reserved Source IP Addresses. Keep in mind if your using NAT you want to do this on your NAT device as well.
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- 0.0.0.0/8 – Historical Broadcast
- 10.0.0.0/8 – RFC 1918 Private Network
- 127.0.0.0/8 – Loopback
- 169.254.0.0/16 – Link Local Networks
- 172.16.0.0/12 – RFC 1918 Private Network
- 192.0.2.0/24 – TEST-NET
- 192.168.0.0/16 – RFC 1918 Private Network
- 224.0.0.0/4 – Class D Multicast
- 240.0.0.0/5 – Class E Reserved
- 248.0.0.0/5 – Unallocated
- 255.255.255.255/32 – Broadcast
II. Stop Your Network from Being Used as a Broadcast Amplification Site
- Configuring all of your systems – (from your routers, servers, workstations, etc…) so that they do not receive or forward directed broadcast traffic will assist in making sure your network is not used as a broadcast application site. Craig Huegen has a number of papers written on this topic you may find them here.
- Test your network to determine if it is an amplification site. This is as easy as using the “ping” command to send an ICMP echo request packet to the Network Base IP address of your network(s) as well as the broadcast IP address of your network(s). I suggest that you do this not only from your own network but from an independent 3rd party such as www.DNSStuff.com – Note the basic DNS Stuff is free.
- The HostMedic agency refuses to purchase hardware from any vendor that does not disable IP Directed Broadcast by Default as outlined in RFC 2644. In fact – we suggest using PFSense @ the Edge of your network if you are unsure of how to complete all of these tasks. PFSense is FREE and offers low cost support as well as FREE Community based support.
Fox News and Time Warner: the pending divorce
Reuters reports “The COO of Fox’s parent company reportedly confirmed to the Wall Street Journal (which Fox owns) that he sent a memo to employees explaining that Fox stations will likely be pulled from Time Warner Cable.”
Time Warner is stating that they are refusing to pay a 300% increase per subscriber to carry specific channels – and Fox is threatening to cut the ties and not broadcast to Time Warner.
This is a gutsy move for Rupert Murdoch. In 1995, Murdoch’s Fox Network became the object of scrutiny from the FCC, when it was alleged that News Ltd.’s Australian base made Murdoch’s ownership of Fox illegal. However, the FCC ruled in Murdoch’s favor, stating that his ownership of Fox was in the best interests of the public.
In late 2003, Murdoch acquired a 34 per cent stake in Hughes Electronics, the operator of the largest American satellite TV system, DirecTV, from General Motors for $6 billion (USD).
Could this be a move that is meant to purposefully move Fox out of the Time Warner realm? Time Warner Cable executives have balked at paying that much and have claimed that negotiations with broadcast companies like Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc and Local TV which carry local affiliate stations are in the 25 cents to 50 cents a subscriber range.
CBS Corp CEO Les Moonves, who has been a very vocal supporter of getting pay-TV providers to pay cash for the right to carry his broadcast network, has publicly said he expects his company to be paid around 50 cents a subscriber, and Fox asks for double the amount.
Time Warner Cable, the No. 2 U.S. cable operator, which serves some 14 million customers, has stated they are willing to loose the Fox channels – and states their clients are ready to give up the Fox network. I tend to disagree – for the larger part of that campaign – Time Warner never told their clients which channels they may be loosing.
Important to note here – the Fox news channel and National Geographic Network, which are 1/2 owned are not part of these discussions.
As for me – I can live without American Idol – and there are plenty of alternatives already for NFL
Can Time Warner afford to loose the programming of American Idol and the NFL ?
Can Murdoch afford to loose the additional funds advertisers may be unwilling to pay based upon the smaller number of subscribers (14 million approx. )? One thing is for sure – just like in any divorce the children (in this case the customers) are the ones that will pay…
Today is the Day to Order Flowers – Yeah YOU –
As a geek – and a man – I tend to overlook the simple things in life… like the power of a flower. 
(ok no jokes on flower power now… woops to late)
See guy’s one thing I have learned is that ladies want to be treated … well Like a lady. They are your most important asset – they are your reason for living – your reason for working… they simply are your Reason.
While a man thinks of flowers as something that will just wilt and die away – an expensive cliché – most of us will settle down and buy them in February – but why not in December?
Here’s the deal with giving flowers. Women like receiving flowers. Men think flowers are stupid for the most part…
It’s okay – just break out the credit card and buy them already … not convinced – okay I will continue:
Why buy flowers for your Wife or Girlfriend?
- Flowers will make you happy: its about us anyhow ? isn’t it (just testing
) According to Jeannette Haviliand-Jones, psychologist at Rutgers University and their research the act of giving flowers brings out a Real smile in the giver. So get happy already and open up the wallet. - Smart People Give Flowers: thats right – if you send flowers to your wife or girlfriends workplace your partner will be the envy of every other person in their office… (it’s okay if they are @ home – I promise she will pick up the phone and brag about you for sure…) Science says that people will perceive you as having higher emotional intelligence than your peers.
If your not dating – not married… it’s okay – Send a bouquet to your mother, your Aunt – or someone in the office even.
Apple vs Nokia: Patents, Patents, Patents
Nokia Corp. is broadening a legal dispute it already has with Apple Inc. over the iPhone, saying almost all of the company’s other products also violate the Finnish phone maker’s patents. Nokia said Tuesday that it has filed a complaint against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, alleging Apple’s iPhone, iPods and computers all violate Nokia’s intellectual property rights.
The seven Nokia patents in this complaint relate to Nokia’s pioneering innovations that are now being used by Apple to create key features in its products in the area of user interface, as well as camera, antenna and power management technologies.
Nokia, which is based in Espoo, Finland, has already sued Apple over the massively popular iPhone, claiming it infringes on 10 of its patents related to phone calls and Wi-Fi access.
Apple has denied the charges and this month countered with its own lawsuit, saying Nokia has copied aspects of the iPhone in their own devices. Apple claims Nokia is violating its patent rights on technology for connecting phones to computers, teleconferencing and touch-screen menus, among other things – 13 patents in fact.
I wonder how this will turn out… and it is so reminiscent of the BlackBerry / Rim fight…
Reactive vs. Proactive: If IT can do it why not Government
One of the first things I learned as a medic and then as an EMS Chief was to mitigate disasters before they ever become disasters. This is one of the basic participles within Emergency Management… but for some reason Our Government has not been able to grasp this. Terrorists commit acts of terror to create fear, and while they do this by causing death – their motive is to cause FEAR.
Interestingly enough – when you board an airplane you have a 1 in 10,408,947 chance of being victimized by a terrorist incident, according to the Bureau of Transportation statistics… In fact there is a greater chance that you will be killed in the car ride to the airport, by the air in the flight cabin or funny as it sounds food poisoning from the food served on the plane.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab succeeded in setting his pants on fire, according to reports. He did not use Wireless or Television to complete this task – and yet our government decides that these items need to be removed from flight for one hour before landing. Does this just strike anyone else as entirely stupid?
Ok let me play out this scenario… If the terrorist knows that they have a 214 minute flight – they also know that they have 154 minutes to set off their bomb or do whatever else they are looking to do … and after those 154 minutes they then need to sit silently with their hands on their laps… DUH!
So – the TSA basically, by being reactive instead of proactive punishes us – the travelers, the US citizen, the public – and in effect the terrorists win. If they were proactive, had actually used many of the tools in place – such as their No fly list, or A father coming to the US Consulate and stating his son is on a path to destroy America… (i can continue here… but enough on that soap box)
Ask any IT manager – being proactive protects the network – protects the data…
If our TSA and Homeland Security departments were proactive perhaps they could… just perhaps -Protect the public.
RPMForge CentOS/RedHat
RPMforge is a third party RPM repository for Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS. By simply Adding the RPMforge repository you can access to an extensive library of pre-compiled binaries.
Gui Method:
- Launch Firefox and go to http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/FAQ.php#B2. Click on the package appropriate for your version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS.
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- Note 32 bit or 64 bit ! this is very important
-
- Choose Open with Software Installer (default) and click Ok.
- The Installing packages window will appear. Click Apply to proceed.
- Finally click Ok.
Command Line Method:
- visit http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/FAQ.php#B2 and copy the link for your OS version… (note 32 bit or 64 bit)
- ssh into your server
- run the appropriate link : (example: rpm -Uhv http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/i386/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.3.6-1.el5.rf.i386.rpm)
It is also important that you lower the priority – so the base packages provided by RedHat /CentOS are not replaced by a new version from RPMforge…
- Install the Yum priorities package via ssh: #yum install yum-priorities
- Edit the file /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmforge.repo and add this line: “priority = 10″
- Test your configuration by executing ” #yum check-update “ You should see a priority protections message in the output.
Under Promise & Over Deliver…
This evening I had the opportunity to call up a local restaurant to make reservations… The employee @ El Dorado’s stated it might be up to 50 minutes for a table for 11. We hung up after agreeing on a time – and then I received a telephone call back in under 5 minutes stating – the table was ready when we were.
I have often ordered take out from El Dorado’s and always experience the same thing… My order is always ready sooner than promised. The first time this happened I looked at it like wow – must be a slower night then they expected… the second – perhaps this is a coincidence…
I ordered wireless from a company called Country Connections and was given a delivery date longer than I would have liked — and then in just under two days later my service was installed.
I called this week to let them know the service was less than stellar – and was told they would schedule a tech to review the situation early next week. Today they replaced the radio unit that services my house. This is more than just small town America companies helping out their customers – it is Smart Business. Each of these two organizations are performing what is perhaps the oldest marketing trick in the book – one that players like Time Warner, Vectren Gas, and most other service organizations have forgotten.. Announce the minimum of service and then give your best to deliver more that expected without bragging or making much noise about it.
The end result is the basically the same every time – A Positive effect on the customer. This creates word of mouth about the excellent level of service… not only did they deliver on what they promised – but… they provided much much much more…
Mark Stephenson, of Country Connections stated: ” We work hard and will not give any promises that we cannot meet.”
He and the team @ Country Connections succeeded in making me happy – and I will tell all my friends that I am a fan of their service.
And – next time your in Washington Court House Ohio make it a point to visit El Dorado’s and ask for Jessica to be your waitress. The service is stellar.
