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Dear blogger. That’s the problem with progress. It consistently brings new unforeseen problems with it. That means that doing the same thing as you used to often simply won’t be enough. You’ve got to do things differently if you don’t want your blog to fall victim to malicious actions.
So what’s new in 2017? And what threats for bloggers are still out there that a lot of people have ignored? Well, I’m glad you asked. (It’s so helpful to have an active audience).
Expect more hacks of big platforms to come to light
The problem with hacks is that it’s not in the favor of big companies to reveal them as that damages their reputation. And so, expect that more networks have been compromised than you’re aware of. What does that mean?
Well, it means that what you thought was secure probably isn’t. So be very careful what information you share with big networks.
What it also means is that if you haven’t yet updated your passwords you should stop reading this article right now and go right out there and do that!
A lack of password Hygiene will continue
And when you’re changing the passwords, don’t – for the love of god – use the same ones across different platforms! Because if you do that, then when they manage to hack one of your websites, that means they’ll be able to hack a bunch of them. And that will just add insult to injury.
The best thing a blogger can do?
Use a password manager. This will allow you to have different and strong passwords for every site, without you having to remember each and every one. In fact, you only have to remember one. In that way, it will be both easy and secure.
The best of both worlds.
Social Engineering will grow in sophistication
Do you know what the weakest link in your computer security is? It’s you. Not all of you, of course. Some of you are certainly up to speed and hard to trick. Some of you, however, are surprisingly easy to trick.
And why should hackers target difficult computer systems when they can get you to give them the keys to the castle?
So, whatever you do, become more skeptical, more careful and less willing to give out information. The bigger the network or blog that you’re working for, the more likely there will be an attempt to get your information.
Note, that that doesn’t even have to only be online. It’s possible they’ll approach you AFK as well. People have been known to pose as experts, computer officials or even to go through your garbage to get key information.
Your unused apps on your website will continue to be a security risk
A lot of people, when they first start building their site, install a whole bunch of apps and plugins. Then they settle on those they like best and forget about the rest. That’s great, as long as they remember to uninstall them.
The problem is, many of them don’t. Even worse, they forget to update them as well (after all, they’re not using them, so why should they?). And that leaves massive gaping hole in their internet security.
So, don’t do that. Uninstall those plugins that you don’t use and keep those that you do, up to date!
The competition will intensify
Everybody and your uncle Jimmy are online now. Many of them have started blogs. Yet others are on Pinterest, Instagram or some other network that’s competing for attention. That means that it’s going to get even harder for you to attract your audience.
To stay relevant in this ever more competitive atmosphere you need to do two things:
First of all, you need to use the right tools to make your quality as high-class as possible
- grammarly: Get rid of grammar mistakes with Grammarly (Which is free in its most basic version).
- hemingwayapp: Work at making your content more readable by using shorter, more accessible language and cutting out on passive voice with Hemingway. It is free too while you’re willing to use it online.
- mastergrades.com: Upgrade the quality of your words by using this editing service and take your blog’s content to the next level.
- hootsuite: Make your social media easier to use and more impactful by using this software package. You won’t even have to pay to integrate the first three platforms.
Secondly, you’ve got to make sure you know who your target audience is and stick to them. That means, finding your niche and giving them what they want. This is the only way you’ll be able to compete with the big boys, who will have more expertise and far more resources to throw at their market segments.
People will avoid text-only blogs even more
Millennials prefer video. And, with each passing year, they’re a bigger slice of the pie. That means, video is becoming ever more important. So stop it with your text only already! It’s a shrinking market!
Besides, video is getting easier to do. You can shoot them with your phone, edit them with online editors and add animations at the drop of the hat.
As an extra bonus, when you’ve got content that people loved in text form, if you transfer it to video your audience will get to love it again (as well an entirely new slice of the pie).
So make the transition. There really is no reason to drag your feet on this one.
Blogger, get prepared
Yeah, there are a lot of problems out there. That’s what comes of everybody being connected.
Now, you can lament to the gods and pray that nothing will happen. Or you can do something about it and be as prepared as you can be. Will that guarantee you’ll be secure and stay relevant? No, it won’t. But it will at least give you the best chance of mattering next year.
And at least there’s one advantage to all the threats for a blogger out there – they’re even more likely to take out the competition! So hey, at least you’ve got that to look forward to.