Web Secret #258: Account Killer

Most of the mental health professionals I meet are concerned about Internet privacy.

Many are very concerned.

For those who are ultimately concerned - there is only one way out - deleting your social media accounts.

Figuring out how to do this for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and all the myriad others you may be involved with can be a major time suck, as they do not want to make it easy for you.

If you have trouble remembering all your accounts, or do not want to devote the better part of an afternoon to this project, visit Account Killer. It has a huge list that includes direct links to deleting your profile from over 500 different sites. I deleted a rogue Google+ account in a matter of seconds.

If you meet clinical criteria for paranoia, are just feeling lazy, or want the most thorough scouring possible, you can pay $129 to DeleteMe. DeleteMe will clean up any trace of:

• Your public profile from leading data sites
• Contact, personal, and social information
• Photos of you, your family, and your home.

Phew!

Web Secret #257: Captology

Ever heard of BJ Fogg?

Yeah, I know. Neither had I.

Dr. Fogg is a psychologist and the first person to study the impact of computers on human behavior. He did that in the 1990s. As a doctoral student.

In 1996, Fogg derived the term captology from an acronym: Computers As Persuasive Technologies = CAPT. He created a new field of research captology - the study of computers as persuasive technologies. This includes the design, research, and analysis of interactive computing products (computers, mobile phones, websites, wireless technologies, mobile applications, video games, etc.) created for the purpose of changing people’s attitudes or behaviors.

Then he started the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, which focus on captology research. He created a new model of human behavior change, which guides research and design. He is the author of Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, a book that explains how computers can motivate and influence people.

Fogg's work on the intersection of captology and wellness is of particular interest to behavioral health clinicians and EA professionals. He edited Texting 4 Health: A Simple, Powerful Way to Change Lives.

His work inspired the First International Conference on Persuasive Technology for Human Well-Being, held in 2006. In 2011, the World Economic Forum's Wellness Workplace Alliance selected the Fogg Behavior Model as their framework for health behavior change.

To keep people updated on new developments in captology, the Stanford Persuasive Tech Lab sends out an e-mail newsletter every few months. It's free. They just ask you to tell them how you heard about captology.

Tell them I sent you.

Web Secret #256: Technology Moves Too Fast to Care About

Founded in 1995, during the heyday of the dot.com boom, Fast Company is a business magazine that focuses on technology, business, and design.

To be honest, I left Fast Company to subscribe to its arch rival Wired. Wired seemed, well cooler.

But life as a way of coming full circle, and my millenial son reintroduced me to Fast Company via their amazing online "magazines," Co.DESIGN, Co.EXIST and Co.CREATE.

Recently, I was blown away by a Co.DESIGN article, (authored by Chris Butler,) "12 Trends That Will Rule Products in 2013," because so many of the trends were so completely relevant to the practice of mental health and employee assistance.

I'll jump in and tell you why:

Trend #3: ANALOG WILL NEVER GO AWAY. I have previously blogged about this concept - specifically that no technology ever dies and millenials love old technology. To broadly extrapolate, no service delivery methodology will every become obsolete. The psychotherapist of the near future may talk to patients on their video wristwatch, but there will always be a demand and a need for in person treatment. The Butler article notes, 2013 "will be the year when mainstream consumers start to embrace “outdated” technologies along with cutting-edge ones. A brand that can seamlessly straddle the divide makes far more sense to them."

Trend #4: WORTH IS DETERMINED BY PHILOSOPHY, NOT PRICE. The article notes, "How do you determine a product’s intrinsic worth? Increasingly, it’s the idea behind the product and the philosophy of the brand that created it. Your values are a competitive advantage. 2013 is when mainstream brands start asking serious questions about their philosophy and values. Knowing what you stand for and conveying that to the world is no longer an intellectual exercise for the touchy-feely fringes. It’s a necessity." I have watched ultra competent providers bill $90, $175 and $300 for the identical service. Think about it.

Trend #6: REPAIR AND REPURPOSE ARE THE NEW KILLER APPS. See #3. It's not about building a new breadbox. It's about adapting the old breadbox to new clients. How are you going to attract the next generation of clients, who may know nothing of Freud, old style medical models, and more?

Trend #7. TECHNOLOGY MOVES TOO FAST TO CARE ABOUT. Butler notes: People used to invest in products just to get their hands on the newest technologies. But it’s become too much, too fast...only a slim population of early adopters counts pixels or processor speeds anymore. The rest of us just want to know what it’s like to use." Translation - having/using technology, be it an app, a website, an online service - that in and of itself is not enough. Your use of technology must be user friendly, and make sense.

Trend #10. HUMAN INTERACTION HAS NEVER BEEN MORE PRECIOUS. Butler writes: "There’s almost no transaction that can’t be automated today... And customers are starting to resist. With many technological obstacles out of the way, we have the luxury of being picky about automation. Sometimes we embrace it... And sometimes, we long for a living, breathing person...2013 reverses the trend toward automated everything, as humanity becomes the crucial differentiator between a beloved brand and a commodity."

You may be resisting the pull of smartphones, social media, and whatever techno trend is coming down the pike. Or you may have jumped on the app bandwagon. Regardless, it's all about knowing your worth. See trend #12:

Trend #12. EVERYONE IS A SPECIALIST. "You’re a specialist, too. Trying to be everything to everyone is a losing proposition. As [clients] embrace their connoisseurship, they seek out brands that match it. The success stories of 2013 are companies unafraid of putting a stake in the ground, to boldly indicate where their expertise and passion lie--and where they don’t."

Make sense?

Web Secret #255 - 800Notes.com

How much do you hate those anonymous robocalls?

Even caller ID doesn't always help, because you don't know if you are getting a legitimate call just by looking at the number.

Thank goodness for 800notes.com.

800 notes provides 4 simple services:

1. Helps you find out who is calling and why: Debt collectors, telemarketers, charities, and survey companies often call without leaving a message. Look up the number to read the reports of other users.
2. Allows you to report telemarketing calls: Make the Do Not Call list offenders notice the problem by reporting their practices. No business wants bad publicity.
3. Makes it easy to report phone fraud: Did someone try to scam you? Reporting the number is the fastest way to make public aware, and prevent others from falling victim to the scam.
4. Enables you to check out a business: Read other users' feedback about the phone number owner.

Take that, robocall.

Web Secret #254: Yes, Virginia There Is an Online Course

In a February editorial, "The Trouble With Online College," the New York Times moved to discredit online higher education. This prompted a flurry of letters to the editor, arguing the pros and cons of online education.

Not one of the letter writers pointed out this very simple fact: We may not have a choice. It may soon be the way many, and ultimately most students get a higher education.

Anyone who currently has a child in college, or faces the prospect of sending one to university, knows that the value proposition for higher education is becoming unsustainable. It now costs in excess of $50,000 or more per year to attend a private institution, and a not too shabby $20,000 a year to go to a public school. Walk around any private college and ask any student. They will confirm that already, the student population is comprised of the very affluent who can pay the ticket, the very poor who qualify for need based grants, and the gifted who qualify for merit or athletic scholarships. The middle class - not there.

Soon, public institutions will also become unaffordable. And as for graduate school, the issues are the same. As an example, many experts believe that unless you are accepted into a top tier institution, don't bother getting a law degree.

Already, demographic studies show that the majority of millenials move back home after college, often for a prolonged span of time. The immense debt they carry precludes living on their own, even with roommates.

So, how are the growing hordes of middle class students who don't have the money or the talent to pay for school, going to get an education?

Online, of course.

And we need not necessarily feel sorry for them. Given the choice, most would opt to watch famed Harvard Professor Michael Sandel deliver his thrilling course on "Justice," rather than listen to a bored junior professor listlessly drone on in a conventional classroom.

Peter Norvig, a prominent professor at Stanford University, teaches a famous online course, available to anyone, on "Artificial Intelligence." Peter didn't just make a video of the course he was used to giving in class. Instead, he completely reinvented it, breaking it down into 2-6 minute segments, followed by a question that allowed participants to check if they actually understood the concept that had just been taught.

The student of the future may have the option to get educated by the best of the best. Sure they will miss out on the college experience we were fortunate to receive, but all is not ivy and camaraderie. There is also hazing, bullying, and drunken parties.

It may not be a bad thing to miss out on that.

And it may be inevitable.

Web Secret #253: Parker 5th Generation Technology

I live and work immersed in technology. I have a smartphone, a laptop, and a tablet. I am on the Internet about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I love cutting edge stuff and am an early adopter. I like the newest and the latest.

So it might surprise you that I still use a pen and a notebook throughout the day.

But not just any notebook. Not just any pen.

For the past 10 years, I have written my notes in a Moleskine Squared Red Notebook - size large. I love the acid free paper, the red bookmark, the elastic closure (great for travel) and the expandable inner pocket (which I never use, but it is oddly comforting that it's there.) Moleskine notebooks have existed for centuries, and were used by the like of van Gogh, Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway, to name a few.

And the pen - well that requires serious thought. I usually favor fountain pens, or strange Japanese writing instruments, typically purchased from JetPens.com

Currently, my go to writing instrument is a Parker 5th Generation Technology pen.



My family has a long and auspicious history with Parker. My great uncle was the French rep for the American company. His job enabled him, my grandmother and my mother to escape Nazi occupied France during World War II. His Parker connections were able to get him a visa so they could enter the US.

This same great uncle gifted me with my first fountain pen when I was seven years old. I remember the pen's color (teal) and the fact that it made me feel super grownup.

Anyway, sometime in 2011, the 5th generation technology pens were introduced. So named because it follows 4 previous generations of writing technologies - the fountain pen (1884), the ballpoint pen (1888), the felt tip pen (1962), the roller ball (1980s). The pen sort of looks like a fountain pen - but it isn't.

It's an entirely new kind of writing experience. Sure, nothing beats sitting at a desk and writing with a double broad gold tipped Duofold on a sheet of beautiful paper. But here's the rub - most of my life is spent writing in airplanes, at conferences, and on the go - where writing with a real fountain pen is at best messy, at worst impossible. (I will also add that I am left handed.) And this Parker pen - well it doesn't leak, it doesn't bleed, it doesn't clog. It's completely dependable and provides a pleasant and smooth writing experience, much more pleasant than your average roller ball/ball point/gel pen. In addition, refills come in fine and medium and in a variety of colors, including burgundy, olive green, peacock blue and purple.

The pen comes in many flavors, ranging in price from $80 - $160. All write with the same point, if you buy a more expensive version - you are paying for cosmetics.

Bonus: It is very easy and quick to swap out refills - none of thee many reviews I have read mention that you can change from black, to green, to burgundy ink in a matter of seconds.

Web Secret #252: Is it down right now?

You've decided to go on Twitter and tweet about the amazing iWebU blogpost you just read.

You click on the link or enter the url for Twitter, and nothing happens. It's not loading. It's taking forever to load. And if you're like me, someone with the patience of a toddler, you go nuts almost immediately. And paranoid.

What's going on?

Is my 5 year old computer finally biting the dust?

Did those Chinese Army hackers finally infect my laptop with nefarious malware?

Wait - maybe this has nothing to do with me. Maybe it's Twitter's fault?

In this type of situation, unless you are staring at the blue screen of death, the first action to take is visiting "Is it down right now?."

In addition to posting a summary of the health of various key websites, (think Pinterest, Chase and Netflix,) iidrn let's you enter the web address of the offending website and get quasi instant comforting feedback, like "It's not you, Twitter is down."

Less reassuringly, you might get this message, "The website is probably down just for you." In addition, you are told when that website was last down, eg "More than a week ago."

If you get that message, it's time to call Apple Cares or contact your ISP.

But most of the time, it is them, not you and if you just wait a while, it ends up working just fine.

Thank you, iidrn.