Five upsides to the Linked In password theft

Claire Celeste Carnes 
WCL Strategic Marketing Director

By now, you have probably heard that over 6 million passwords to Linked In may have been released earlier this month – and posted online. Just about anyone you hear from about this is suggesting you update your password. You haven’t yet? Go ahead and do that – we’ll wait – and stay logged in to take advantage of my top five tips.

Done? OK, now check out the list of positive actions that can come from this possible hack.

Everyone is logging in to change their password – and adding someone new. Linked In, like other social networking sites, provides suggestions for people you may know, based on your employer or your education. These suggestions tend to be fairly right-on. Go ahead and take a look at people suggested for you – and invite one or two of them to join your professional network. You may have noticed that you are also receiving more requests to join the network of people you know. Accept those and see what your coworkers are up to!

It’s a great time to check in with your network.
Send a message and set up lunch with a colleague you haven’t seen in a while. It’s important to stay in touch with those in your network, not just when you need something. No one likes to hear from you only when you’re looking for a job or a project, they want to stay in touch with you! Linked In is a tool for an ongoing relationship.

Good reminder to take a look at your profile.
Have you taken on additional responsibilities? Added some new skills to your repertoire? Take a look at your profile and consider making some updates and edits.  Make sure your company’s website is listed, and that of your blog or your volunteer activity.

Post a status update.
Working on a challenging work project? Have a new award? Have an insight worth sharing? Don’t hold back! Status updates are a good opportunity to connect with people who may be working on something similar or interested in what you’ve learned.

Reminder to keep our passwords separate – and change them up once in a while.
You work hard at your professional reputation and personal brand. Don’t let anyone get access to these tools that they shouldn’t. Keep your passwords tricky (long, with symbols, letters and numbers) and change them every few months. But don’t use the same password for every account. If breaches happen, and sometimes they do, at least the damage is limited to one site, not all of your accounts.

Take advantage of these social media tools – but don’t let yourself be taken advantage of by a malicious hacker.