5 Facebook profile pics that make you look like a tool

By Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich, Special to CNN November 24, 2010 -- Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT) | Filed under: Social Media

Profile pics that look like Budweiser ads -- or, say, this photo -- are probably not the best choices for your Facebook page.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The self-taken "MySpace shot" makes you look like you have no friends
  
• Don't hide behind your friends in the shot that's supposed to show who you are
  
• Halloween party photos are awesome -- but not so awesome in late-November

RELATED TOPICS

• Facebook Inc.
• Dating
• Relationships
• Google Gmail
• Mark Zuckerberg

Editor's note: Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz are the sarcastic brains behind humor blog and book Stuff Hipsters Hate. When they're not trolling Brooklyn for new material, Ehrlich works as a news editor at Mashable.com and Bartz holds the same position at Psychology Today.

(CNN) -- If a Facebook picture is worth a thousand words, we're pretty sure there's one word in the lexicon you'd be loath to have associated with you: tool.

(Unless you're a handyman, in which case, carry on.)

Yes, Facebook started off as a gated community for college kids awkwardly trolling for chicks in their rooms because the outside world was just too bright ... too bright. But now, as Mark Zuckerberg sallies forth with his plan to consume all of society, it has become kind of legit.

Last week, Zuckerberg unveiled a messaging system for the book of faces that will consolidate e-mail, texts, chat and Facebook messages. While we (unlike myriad reactionary news outlets) won't be calling Z's new baby a "Gmail killer" any time soon (dude, eradicate all those FB phishing scams and then we'll talk), the fact that Facebook would take such a step got us thinking.

Every day, 4 billion messages are shot off via Facebook, and next to those 4 billion messages is something that could make or break the legitimacy of your missive -- or, at the very least, amuse or horrify your friends: your profile picture.

This is your calling card, your public face. So why do so many of you contort it into that of a duck?

Read on for five common types of Facebook photos that make your friends want to block you, potential employers take pause and future suitors weep with frustration at the state of the human race.

The "MySpace shot"

The pouty, self-taken "MySpace" mirror shot just makes you look like a narcissist.

Oh, the "MySpace shot" -- in which men pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirrors and women pout into their boobs.

You think it makes you look sexy, but, truth be told, it makes you look like you have no friends. Which makes sense, considering the dudes are always hanging out shirtless in the bathroom and the chicks always look so freaking depressed.

Fun fact: Research from OK Cupid shows the "MySpace shot" is the most effective snap for women when it comes to racking up messages. Still, that same research shows that shots of a chick doing something interesting, as opposed to looking sexy, garnered more meaningful communication.

Yes, Facebook is not OK Cupid, but the research holds true: A cell phone pic may get you some attention, but, well, so will drunkenly passing out at a party and flashing your underwear.

And for those among you who are too deeply entrenched in the morass of narcissism to pry iPhone from hand, might we suggest getting an account on DailyBooth? This service lets you take a photo of yourself every day in order to track how your appearance changes over time. At least then you can call it art ... or something.

Subbing in an inanimate object/pet/baby

Sure, he's cute. But he's not you.

"Hey Tim... so, I've known you for about five years now and I'm pretty sure you are not a crude drawing of a dinosaur, a cat with lasers for eyes or a green square. No, I'm pretty sure you're a skinny dude with an only slightly unfortunate haircut."

So thinketh your friends when nary a picture on your Facebook profile is actually of you. Also, people will start to wonder if you have been disfigured in some horrifying accident and -- Phantom of the Opera-like -- are masking your hideous face with that of Conan's.

If you insist on getting creative with your profile pic, check outTwibbons, which lets you create profile images that promote a cause.

Liquoring up

A couple of party pictures in which you're holding a glass of wine or a beer are fine, but a parade of profile pics that could pass for Budweiser ads -- or, for that matter, the photo above -- are probably not the best choice when it comes to looking like a professional/not an alcoholic.

Yeah, that pic of you in the pool doing Edward 40-Hands might be hilarious to your poker pals and fellow former frat bros, but the kids you teach fourth grade math to (and their parents) will probably be less than amused.

Group shots

Yes, we get it -- you have lots of friends and are very popular.

Let's say you meet a new dude at a dark party. The guy seems nice, and looks to be cute from what you can tell through the haze of the smoke machine and Four Loko (it hasn't been banned everywhere yet, folks), but you can't quite tell because of the crudely markered-on Castro beard (oh, forgot to mention it's Halloween).

The next day, you eagerly seek out homeboy on Facebook, only to find a profile picture that features not one, but five similar-looking dudes lying in the grass -- wearing Wayfarers and fedoras. How are you supposed to tell which is which, and whether you should click "friend"?

Yeah, Facebook is not technically a dating site, but let's face it, the first thing you do after meeting a new romantic interest is stalk the hell outta him or her. According to a survey from Seventeen magazine, within one week of meeting someone, 79 percent of 16-21 year-olds add that person to their Facebook circle.

And, as shallow as it is, folks will judge you based on your profile -- that same research shows that 43 percent of girls would decide not to date someone if his profile was a bust. So don't hide behind your friends in the shot that's supposed to show who you are. Save that for after the breakup, when you run into her at your local watering hole.

Holiday or wedding pics ... months after the wedding

Sure, your wedding was awesome -- way back in JULY. Don't rub it in.

Yes, it was totally awesome that that Halloween party you went to featured not one, not two, but three Fidel Castros (you are the dude mentioned above, btw), but it's not so awesome that you should still keep a picture documenting this phenom front and center in late November. A week or two tops, friends, and then it's back to that lovely shot of you wearing pleated pants and a polo (we'll tackle that problem at a later date).

The same goes for wedding photos. It's really nice that you got married, and we all pored through every shot from the ceremony, but leaving up a portrait of you in full bridal garb for several months is akin to shoving your ring in your friends' faces daily.

We are no longer happy for you. You are now just gloating. We fear the day when you produce offspring.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/24/facebook.profile.shots.netiquette/index.html?iref=NS1

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  By KAREN BLUMENTHAL





NOVEMBER 6, 2010

New Ways Bankers Are Spying on You

Big Banker is watching you—more closely than ever.

With lenders still skittish about making new loans, credit bureaus and others are hawking services that help banks probe deeply into your financial closet. The new offerings include ways to look at your rent and utility payments, figure out your income, gauge your home's value and even rate your banking habits based on details like whether your direct deposits have stopped.

All of this could influence your financial freedom—not to mention the number of junk-mail solicitations you receive.

Ken Lin, CEO of Credit Karma, a credit-score information website, knew he had a good credit score. But when he recently applied for a new credit card, he was rejected: The lender had flagged him as a higher credit risk because the value of his California home had declined and his mortgage principal wasn't declining—giving away that he has an interest-only mortgage.

"It's a lot more than just your credit score today," he says.

Mark Matcho

Your credit record still matters, of course. But here are some newer ways lenders and financial-services companies are sizing up your financial behavior and credit-worthiness:

• Bank-depositor behavior scores. Fair Isaac, the creator of the widely used FICO credit score, is marketing bank-depositor behavior scores, which are used by banks to assess their own customers.

The scores are based on balances, deposit records and withdrawal activity, says Debb Gordon, a senior principal consultant at Fair Isaac.

Unlike credit scores—which are most affected after payments are late or credit is maxed out—behavior scores can be a leading indicator of credit risk. They also can help banks identify which of their customers might be ripe for additional services and rewards programs and which might need special attention because, for instance, their direct deposits had stopped.

• Income estimation. This business took off earlier this year after the Federal Reserve allowed lenders to use credit bureaus' income estimates to satisfy new requirements that credit-card applicants show the ability to pay their debts.

The bureaus use credit-record information, such as the size of your credit lines and the age and size of your mortgage, and plug it into models to predict your earnings. Those estimates also may be used to double-check the income you report on credit applications or to determine if you should be preapproved for credit.

You can't see those estimates. But if you are denied credit because of them, you must be given a chance to provide additional information.

• Rent payments. An estimated 40 million consumers, including young people and people who prefer to pay in cash, have too little credit experience to generate a useful credit score. But they are likely to pay rent or utility bills, which could help credit bureaus better assess their credit-worthiness.

Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, bought RentBureau—which collects rental-payment data from large property managers—and expects to integrate that information into credit records before the end of the year.

Even if those consumers don't want credit, that information could help them win better rates from insurers, which may use insurance scores based on credit records, and fatten up thin credit files, which some employers check before making hiring decisions.

Credit bureaus say they also would like to offer data on cellphone payments, but have run into concerns over privacy issues, which may require legislation to untangle.

• Collection triggers. If you owe money, you can run, but you can't hide. Credit bureaus can now send daily reports to collection companies when a debtor's financial status changes—say, if new employment information appears or if a debt starts to decline. A drop in credit use would indicate that the consumer has more capacity to pay and a better chance of repaying other outstanding debts.

• Home values. As home values have plummeted and foreclosures have soared in many states, lenders of all stripes have become more cautious, as Mr. Lin found. Using home values as a factor in credit decisions doesn't appear to be widespread, but it may come into play when someone in, say, Nevada or California applies for a new loan. Of course, it also could work in your favor if you are one of the roughly 25 million Americans who owns a home outright.

• Your wealth. Information about your assets other than homes and cars, which aren't part of the credit record, may soon play a bigger role in your financial life. With a better sense of a consumer's balance sheet, lenders might be able to target potential customers better and also have a fuller sense of their likely risk. Equifax, another of the big three credit bureaus, offers financial-service providers an estimate of liquid wealth as part of a financial "suite" of information.

As all of this becomes a widespread practice, those who are prompt and careful in all aspects of their financial life may have more options—and those who have been sloppy with, say, their bank accounts may be penalized for that.

Write to Karen Blumenthal at karen.blumenthal@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B8

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704865104575588803958385376.html?mod=yahoo_free

ATM Fraud Gets Even More Brazen

by Karen Blumenthal
Saturday, November 27, 2010

provided by

Fraud involving debit cards and personal-identification numbers is on the rise as criminals go where the cash is—even targeting banks' own automated teller machines.

More from WSJ.com: • New Ways Bankers Are Spying on You • The Other Gold Rush: Selling It • Foreclosure Detectives Hunt for Lies

Techniques such as "skimming," in which criminals capture card information and personal-identification numbers, have existed for years, often on a small scale. Though the dollar losses still are relatively modest, organized gangs now are pulling off more-sophisticated attacks.

[See Watch Out for ATM Skimming]

They also are targeting bigger players: Whereas most of the fraud in previous years took place at independent ATMs or at retail points of sale, fraud at bank-owned ATMs made up more than 80% of the breaches in the first six months of this year, says Fair Isaac, which provides fraud-detection software.

Europe, which has faced a bigger problem than the U.S., saw card-skimming ATM attacks jump 24% in the first six months of this year, to 5,743, the largest six-month number since data-gathering began in 2004, according to the European ATM Security Team, a nonprofit group. (Losses from skimming fell 8%, to €144 million, or $197 million.)

Attacks on retailers continue to climb as well. Last month, supermarket chain Aldi said it had discovered that payment terminals in major U.S. cities in 11 states had been altered to allow the skimming of card numbers, cardholder names and PINs between June 1 and Aug. 31 this year.

Avivah Litan, fraud analyst at Gartner, a research firm, estimates that fraud involving debit cards, PINs and point-of-sale equipment has surged 400% over the past five years. One tactic, she says, has been "flash attacks": Using the stolen information, gangs create thousands of counterfeit debit cards and then dispatch cronies to at least 100 ATM machines in several cities at once. Each withdraws a small dollar amount from several accounts to avoid fraud-detection software, adding up to tens of thousands of dollars in losses.

Until recently, skimming equipment was relatively crude and clunky, attached to card-readers with double-stick foam tape and relying on small cameras to record hands punching in PINs. Newer devices include equipment that fits inside card readers, pinhead-sized cameras and well-crafted attachments that sit snugly on top of ATM card readers and PIN pads, looking just like the real equipment. Bluetooth technology allows the fake card reader and PIN pad to talk to each other, and data drives or wireless technology can make downloading of stolen information quick and easy.

Given such clever engineering, consumers may not be able to tell that a machine has been compromised. Banks may not know either: Fair Isaac says that perpetrators of such fraud often place skimmers on outdoor ATMs on Saturday mornings and remove them before the bank opens Monday. The data is typically passed to crooks in another country within hours.

[See Consumers Get Pumped by ATM Fraud at Gas Stations]

Better technologies are available: Canada and several European countries, among others, have adopted so-called chip-and-PIN debit cards, with chips built into the card, adding a layer of protection. But American banks and retailers have resisted adopting the technology because it is expensive to replace cards, ATMs and point-of-sale machines.

The chip-and-PIN technology isn't foolproof, and experts say U.S. banks and retailers may instead leapfrog that technology, possibly by using the capabilities of smartphones to verify transactions or to actually make the transactions instead of using a card.

Given scammers' growing sophistication, consumers are at a disadvantage. But there are some steps you can take—beyond becoming an expert in equipment design and appearance—to avoid the traps or lessen the impact if your information is stolen:

• The simplest protection, says the American Bankers Association, is to get in the habit of covering up your hand when you enter your PIN so that a camera can't record what you are typing.

• Use an indoor ATM. Because they are less isolated, indoor ATMs are less likely to be tampered with than outdoor machines.

[See ATM Skimming: How to Spot, Avoid]

• Use your PIN sparingly at retailers, and choose the signature option—or a credit card—instead, Ms. Litan says.

• If you don't have time to check your bank account regularly, set up email or text alerts to send you balances weekly or, if you are particularly paranoid, daily, so that you will know sooner if something is amiss. Most banks will refund your losses promptly, but you need to report the violation quickly, preferably within two days and no later than 60 days after receiving a statement showing the fraud.

• You should add your bank's and credit card's customer-service numbers to your contacts so you can access them from both your email and cellphone. Having the numbers at hand will eliminate the frustration of trying to find them when you are traveling or at a public computer.

• If your bank suspects fraud, it needs to be able to reach you quickly. Make sure it has your cellphone number as well as your email address and that your other information is up to date. Taking my own advice, I discovered that my bank had home and work phone numbers that were more than a decade out of date.

— karen.blumenthal@wsj.com

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/111407/atm-fraud-gets-even-more-brazen