May 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Bitly Security Breach and Reconnecting @Buffer Link Shortening

You’ve probably heard the news that Bitly, the popular link shortening service, is facing security issues.

From the Bitly blog:

We have reason to believe that Bitly account credentials have been compromised; specifically, users’ email addresses, encrypted passwords, API keys and OAuth tokens. We have no indication at this time that any accounts have been accessed without permission. We have taken steps to ensure the security of all accounts, including disconnecting all users’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. All users can safely reconnect these accounts at their next login.

What Do You Need to Do?

Bitly is recommending that all users make the following changes to secure their accounts.

  • Change your API key and OAuth token
  • Reset your password
  • Reconnect any accounts you have provided Bitly API access — Facebook, Twitter, Buffer (we’ll touch on this in a moment), etc.

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Filed Under: Social Media News
September 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Facebook to Start Sharing Mobile User Numbers by Country

TechCrunch recently reported, in an effort to increase transparency, Facebook has announced that it will begin sharing its mobile user counts for daily and monthly use.

This, Facebook hopes, will help businesses and brands think different about how their followers engage with Facebook. These statistics will be sorted by country, but are currently only available for the North American and UK markets.

Facebook to Start Sharing Mobile User Numbers by Country

Businesses that have been hesitant to engage in mobile advertising may now be more willing to launch mobile advertising campaigns to reach out to the users of mobile devices. Rather than the monthly statistics, most people will be interested in the daily statistics.

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Filed Under: Facebook Marketing, Social Media News
January 31, 2013 by 13 Comments

Applebee’s Taking Heat on Social Media for Firing Waitress

Yet another company that believes they’re operating in 1974.

You can read the full back story here, Applebee's receipt that got waitress fired.but briefly:  A couple days ago, an Applebee’s waitress posted an image of a receipt (see: right) on the social network, Reddit.  The receipt had a note from a customer complaining about auto-tip and how she “gives God 10%,” so “why do you [the waitress] get 18%?”

After word hit the streets about the receipt, the customer (who turned out to be a pastor) called Applebee’s and demanded the waitress be fired for violations of guest privacy due to the signature on the receipt.  The waitress was promptly fired.

The character of the customer, merits of firing the employee, and logic behind tipping in our culture are all worthwhile topics, but this is a digital marketing blog, so let’s take a look at the backlash Applebee’s is receiving on social media.

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Filed Under: Public Relations (PR), Social Media News