Image courtesy http://bit.ly/11A0PSq

Facebook recently promised that their newest update to Facebook Messenger for the iPhone would include VoIP, which would let you call your Friends using a cellular or wi-fi data connection instead of your phone’s plan minutes.

Gizmodo recently tested the new feature and found it worked perfectly on their office wi-fi. To use it, just click on a Friend’s profile in FB Messenger, then click on “Free Call”.

Just remember to make your calls while you’re on wi-fi otherwise your standard data usage rates will apply.

You can download Facebook Messenger here.

Considering it’s popularity, it’s no surprise that the site is a haven for a variety of cybercriminals – in fact, Facebook sees 600,000 attempts to hijack logins EVERY SINGLE DAY, and more than 20% of Facebook users (that’s over 160 million people) have been exposed to malware.

But thanks to Zone Alarm, there’s a handy infographic that not only breaks down the number and kinds of attacks we’re talking about, but also gives 6 simple solutions to avoid these kinds of problems. Take a look below:

Mashable also has an excellent post on how to tweak your Facebook privacy settings to help ensure your safety on the site – it’s a great article and very informative, covering settings like:

• Sharing
• Existing photos
• Checking in to places
• Connecting on Facebook
• Apps
• Instant personalization
• Info accessible to your friends
• Public search
• Friend lists
• Enabling HTTPS

It might seem like a lot (and some of these settings can take a while to tweak), but the guide walks you through it step-by-step, and let’s face it: Facebook is not exactly known for caring about their users’ privacy. So it’s up to you to secure it.

Almost everyone seems to be using Facebook – hopefully everyone can learn to use it safely.

Google’s new take on the social space, Google +, is a monster that is taking the industry by storm: the fastest-growing social network in history, it has already reached nearly 18 million users since it opened it’s doors on July 6.

Now, this isn’t Google’s first time to the rodeo, though they’ve had their ups (Orkut and YouTube) and downs (Google Wave and Google Buzz). But how does their newest attempt to take down Facebook fare?

Now, it’s only fair to mention that Google + is still a VERY new service. They’ve got some neat ideas, but let’s face it: the reason they started with a comparatively “limited” release was to get some users “in the trenches” so they can find out what works, what doesn’t, what needs to be added, fixed, or taken away.

It’s important to remember that Google + isn’t a social network, per se, but more like a collection of social services, all tied together under the Google brand:

• Stream (news feed)
• Sparks (recommendations)
• Hangouts (video chat)
• Huddle (group texting)
• Circles (friend management)
• Photos

Google’s stated intent is for these services to be an extension of Google (thus the name), integrating as seamlessly as possible into the user experience, rather than having it act as a standalone service.

One of Google + ‘s biggest strengths is “Circles” – Google’s version of Facebook “Friends”. However, rather than lumping everyone you know together – and forwarding any posts, links, etc. to everyone – Circles lets you organize the people you know into different groups. No longer will your posts intended for your college buddies be seen by your co-workers (for instance)!

Another advantage over Facebook is Hangouts, which allows up to 10 users to chat simultaneously…on video! While there have been rumors that Facebook is working on video chat, Google beat them to the punch, with a smooth, easy-to-use technology that, rather than you having to reach and harass your friends to come chat with you, you simply create a “hangout” where people can come and join you, and chat.

One of the down sides, though, is that the service is “noisy”: any time there is a new comment (from any of your circles) it gets pushed to the top of your Stream (news feed), whether or not it’s something you consider interesting or important, and there is currently no way to change how content is posted to your Stream.

A big issue is the lack of integration with other Google products. Currently, Google + does not work with Google Apps (which is a little strange) and (strangest of all) neither does search. That’s right: the King of Search doesn’t let you find content that your friends are sharing.

Pretty weird.

We knew there would be bugs that would need to be ironed out this early in the game, though, so it’s not like we could expect it to be some flawless, finished product. Overall, it will be interesting to see how Google + develops…and it will be equally interesting to see how Facebook responds to those developments.

Anyone out there on Google +? What has your experience been like so far? Let us know in the comments!

“We’ve had many of our clients asking us to set up a Facebook page” said Juan Rojas, FilesDIRECT’s Marketing Consultant “even as entries to our Innovations contest. We have been building our presence on social media over this past year, but I have to admit that such a strong demand from our users came as a bit of a surprise.”

“Our Facebook page will include tips and tricks for our users, contests (including some that will only be available to our Fans on Facebook), links to blog posts, and an open forum for users and the public to share their questions, ideas and concerns.”

FilesDIRECT is inaugurating their new page with a contest: the first 100 users who “Like” the new FilesDIRECT Facebook page will receive a $15 discount on their next month’s bill.

“Some call it bribery,” says Juan “but I see it as an equal exchange: we’re asking our users to let their friends and colleagues know about our service, and speaking up like that definitely deserves a reward.”

FilesDIRECT is the original, and still one of the best, companies providing secure web based file transfer. Serving individuals, government agencies and companies of all sizes, thousands trust FilesDIRECT to instantly and securely send, receive and track their valuable data. Working with any type of file, FilesDIRECT’s wide variety of features is available to all their clients for no additional cost, making them a top choice for easy, secure large file transfer.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with a member of our Executive Team, please call (888) 520-3999 or email juan@filesdirect.com

Your humble author of this large file transfer blog has had another article accepted by ezinearticles.com – the Internet’s leading article directory!

In this article (“Large File Transfer – Why Bother With FTP?”) I tackle the subject of sending big files via FTP – the outdated technology we all know and love (or, y’know, dislike intently – guess which one I am?).

The article looks at the age of the protocol, as well as security and usability issues. I’m no Mark Twain, but I think it’s both readable and informative, and (here I confess to bias) worth taking a look at.

Just follow the link to the article on (basically) FTP replacement. Of course, considering that you’re here, it’s not hard to guess what I recommend instead of FTP for sending large files…

Please let me know what you think in the comments!

(Photo credit)

I was directed to this fantastic post by Frank Strong (of Vocus & PRWeb fame) on the TopRank Online Marketing Blog that ties the classic 80’s movie into social media.

I confess, as both a martial artist and marketer, that I think the concept is awesome all-around. Besides having a neat concept, the article is well-written and provides useful advice, especially to those new to social media marketing. It doesn’t have anything to do with large file transfers, but I think you’ll find it interesting and useful.

Here’s the link. Enjoy!

You can now follow us @filesdirect. Use twitter to stay up to date with what we are doing to the site or let us know what you think of our site…you can even suggest upgrades if you like.

Stay tuned for more!