Hi Bill - great article. I have written a manuscript on this very topic, and am currently shopping it around to publishers. I'd love to discuss it with you, as well as connect with you on facebook and/or LinkedIn.

I rarely use LinkedIn and Facebook, but in seeing how Bill Brenner uses them - my interest has peaked in exploring them further! I do understand the potential for cybercrime, but generally good practices will prevent most problems.

The problem with virtual world meeting grounds is that they do not provide the sign of danger our real world senses can capture. On the contrary most provide cosy, likable environments. They have to. Else, who would care to visit.
In the real world at least I seldom have family parties in 'dark alley at night' or talk business in suspicious neighborhoods. I choose a place suitable for the occasion and I am (most often) able to perceive, if a place is suitable. The virtual world deprives me of my 'natural instincts' and leaves me without guidance, sometimes even delude me with ill founded guarantee PR.PR because there is no real money worth liability attached.
In addition the real world has not caught up with the practice of todays virtual public disclosure. Information bits, which were formerly assumed private or of limited distribution but may today be spread around the globe, are used for authentication purposes, still.
We, including the institutions around us, surely have to come to terms with technology induced changes. Humans have managed to do so frequently in history, sometimes quicker, sometimes slower. It would help if technology could just a little better take into consideration to the limited sensing capabilities of us humans.

What is FUD? Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt?

i wouldn't use ANY of those apps for work... all unprofessional in my eyes... they are toys... for children...

the fact that they creep in and are increasingly allowed shows how far any idea of what it means to be a work professional has fallen

I agree with the comments by Sean and Erwin. These apps though appealing and useful in many respects, have no real purpose in a corporate or even a small-business environment.

The amount of time and money companies spend on protecting valuable cyber assets can be undone with just one bad choice. In fact, the biggest threats to corporate security these days are the user's themselves. Bill even admits that when using these apps for intended business purposes, the conversation always seems to head toward a personal nature. Not a very productive use of company resources.

There's actually two reasons why these social networking sites are so attractive to the bad guys; the volume of potential targets, as Bill aluded to in his article, AND the fact that there's a large level of success in these attacks! Someone somewhere has to be making bad decisions, or the threat would be non-existant. Certainly, YOU (read: anyone reading this article) won't make that bad choice, but what about one of your associates? The one with the gambling problem who can't resist tempting odds, or the one who's head is so easily turned by a pretty profile? Know anyone like that?

It seems some are always so willing to jump at the next level of technology that offers potential value that they easily forget the internet and networked communications are nothing more than the new version of the wild, lawless frontier. We all seem to expect to be able to walk down main street in Deadwood with our sacks of gold hanging off our belts and are appalled and amazed when we're attacked! So until there'e an effective Marshall in town, don't tempt fate.

Bill did get one thing right, it IS a dark alley. So if you choose to walk down that alley, leave your cash, credit cards and other valuables at home.

Erwin hit the nail on the head when he made reference to our real world senses being taken away when online. In my opinion, these senses make a very clear distinction and all the difference between real and virtual worlds. This distinction shouldn't ever be blurred. The fact that, to some, it is, is evidence of our acceptance of risk being the justification to lowering our sense of security.

Play with the toys at home. Now..... where's my rolodex? I need to make a business call.

My research documents reports of the Koobface worm infecting (or attempting to infect) workplace-related computers by way of Facebook. Employers/organizations thus have security as a reason to block social network sites. --Ben