Ransomware is nasty, nasty business

Ransomware has achieved a revival, and it has come back stronger, says Trend Micro.

Today, ransomware not only locks a victim’s computer or mobile phone, but also encrypts the data stolen. This makes sure that even if the victim is able to remove the ransomware, the encrypted files remain inaccessible without paying for the decryption key.

In the first five months of 2016 (from January to May), Trend Micro blocked 66 million ransomware attacks globally, 10 million in the Asia Pacific region (APAC). In addition, the company has discovered at least 50 new types of ransomware.

Source: Trend Micro. Ransomware facts and figures. The market rate for ransoms is currently between half to 5 Bitcoins.

Source: Trend Micro. Ransomware facts and figures. A Bitcoin cost around US$643 at the time the infographic was created, and US$659 at the time of writing. This puts 5 Bitcoins at US$3,295 today.

22 July is Pi Day

Pi Day is here - again. The mathematical constant is celebrated at least twice a year – in addition to the March 14 (3/14) celebrations, Pi Day is also observed on July 22, as 22/7 is the most common fraction used to represent Pi.

To commemorate Pi Day Parallels has created an infographic with interesting facts about Pi, together with some ways to celebrate:

Opera Mini finds out what its Indian users get up to

Users of the Opera Mini mobile browser have saved 40,135,582 GB (36,000 Terabytes) of data in one year*, according to an analysis** of the behaviour of Opera Mini users in India. Opera Mini’s compression technology shrinks data by up to 90%, helping users save approximately Rs690 crore (Rs6.9 billion), when calculated on the basis of 1GB costing an average of Rs173.
 
Search is the primary reason to go online from a web browser

Eight out of 10 Opera Mini users in India frequent Google to search online. Although search websites experience a high amount of visitors, the number of search pages viewed account for only 10% of all pages. It is possible that these users then branch out to news and download websites, which make up 28% and 17% respectively of the top 100 most-visited websites.

Social networking accounts for the bulk of time spent online

More than half of all webpages viewed by Opera Mini users (55%) are social-networking sites. Facebook leads the pack - half of all webpages opened by users are from Facebook. Other popular social destinations are blogging sites, such as Blogspot and WordPress, followed by Twitter, Pinterest and Quora.

News is the second-most popular type of content viewed by users

Thirty-one news websites are part of the list of top 100 websites for Opera Mini users in India. Consumers are reading up on general news to sports and technology as well as politics. Opera also found that there is a consistent growth in visits to news sites in the Hindi language.

“With their increased usage of smartphones, consumers have moved beyond using Internet only for social networking. Consumers are now using their smartphones as handheld computers to browse news, shop online, watch movies and listen to music on the move,” says Bruce Lawson, Deputy CTO at Opera. “To stay ahead of our consumers’ ever-evolving needs, we keep updating Opera Mini to help them browse faster and more efficiently. The latest version of Opera Mini comes with new updates such as language support, ad blocker integration and video boost.”

Music sites are most visited among download portals

Of the top 100 sites visited by Opera Mini users in India, 24 are download portals. Three quarters  of these are for downloading music. The most-visited websites include Mp3lio, Pagalworld, Webmusic, Raagtune and Mp3mad.

YouTube is the all-time favourite for viewing videos

The rise of affordable smartphones with large HD screens means today’s consumers are watching more videos on the go. With faster 3G availability and features like Opera Mini’s video boost feature, consumers also can watch video with fewer buffer delays. YouTube continues to be one of the top-three most visited sites in India, along with Google and Facebook. In terms of video-streaming sites, YouTube is followed by Vuclip, Dailymotion and Hotstar.

Browsing products from smartphones gaining popularity

Consumers find it more convenient to check out products from their smartphones. E-commerce and classifieds mobile websites provide an equally enriching shopping experience compared to their desktop or app versions. Around 9% of the top 100 websites visited are e-commerce and classified websites. Some of the most visited sites are Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, ShopClues, AskMeBazaar and Olx.

 

*Calculation of savings in data cost: From the 12 months of data between June 2015 - May 2016, we were able to determine the amount of data that was sent from the websites to Opera’s servers (uncompressed data) and the data that Opera sent to users’ phones (compressed data) after shrinking it. This gave us the total amount of data that Opera’s servers helped save users in 12 months: 40,135,582 GB. Then, to be fair, we used an average of 2G in data costs (1 GB at Rs173) to calculate the minimum amount that users ended up saving to arrive with the figure of Rs690 crore worth data saved.

**Information contained in this report is based on aggregated information obtained from Opera Mini servers from June 2015 to May 2016. All content analysis is based on a review of the top sites ranked according to the number of unique visitors in India. The designation of sites to specific categories has been done with local content experts who followed Opera’s guidelines to characterise each site. Adult-only sites have been excluded from the analysis.

Akamai's secrets to e-commerce success

Running a successful e-commerce business can be challenging when half of all shoppers expect websites to load in less than two seconds or they won’t return, Akamai warns. The company has created an infographic with two fundamental ways online retailers can boost their e-commerce businesses, by understanding the customer today, and by delivering "faster, smarter and safer". 

E-commerce behaviour is trending towards mobile devices, for example. According to the infographic, mobile and tablet shoppers shop 20% more frequently than desktop shoppers, and spend US$500 more over the same period, pointing to mobile support as increasingly important.

More crucially, there is now a "two-second" rule. Besides abandoning a site if it takes more than two seconds to load, 20% of customers never return to a slow or crashing site, and will complain about it very visibly in social media.  "Compare and optimise response time across websites to cater for different platforms such as Android vs iPhone," Akamai further suggests.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about Akamai's tips on app engagement and MasterCard's research on mobile shopping in Asia Pacific

IDC shares what consumers in APAC look for in mobile devices

IDC has published an infographic handily describing how consumers in the Asia Pacific region decide on mobile devices. Key takeaways for the Essential Guide to Device Decisions of a Connected Consumer in Asia Pacific include:

Source: IDC infographic. What consumers like about bigger phone screens.

Nearly eight in 10 (77%) consumers surveyed currently own a larger smartphone compared to their previous phone while 8% bought a smaller phone.

More than 50% of smartphone owners who previously owned a Samsung have switched to other brands. A third of these are currently using an iPhone.

Source: IDC infographic. What APAC consumers use their tablets for.

A quarter of the consumers in China shop online on their tablets.

About six in 10 (58%) of consumers in Asia Pacific excluding Japan intend to purchase a 2-in-1 device.

A smartwatch’s battery life and compatibility with the user’s existing phone is one of the top purchase criteria for consumers in Asia.

Interested?

View the complete infographic 

Mobile is redefining the festive experience: Facebook

People in Southeast Asia* are sharing more during the festive year-end season on Facebook, the social media platform and on their preferred device - and that device is mobile, says Facebook, the company. Compared to the rest of the year, people share 30% more mobile content during the festive period** and 75% of posts created were on mobile, the company said in a blog post.

"...People share more mobile posts on New Year’s Eve (68% more) and Christmas Eve (36% more) compared to the rest of the season," stated Facebook in the blog post.

Facebook also found that people across demographics are sharing more on Facebook during the season, including youths*** (19% more), Millennials**** (23% more), parents (17% more) and mums (19% more).

"Across Southeast Asia, Facebook conversations during the period are centred on greetings and festive activities in the Philippines (84% of Facebook chatter), Indonesia (90%) and Singapore (52%)," Facebook said.

Shopping peaks in December, the company observed. Retail store check-ins on Facebook spike by 14% compared to the rest of the season, with 39% of check-ins taking place on Saturdays and Sundays. "Over 50% of people in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand said they are intending to shop online more this season, according to Facebook-commissioned polls*****... Over four out of five people in the Philippines (91%), Indonesia (83%) and Thailand (84%) said Facebook is influential to their shopping during the season. More than one in two people in the Philippines (63%), Indonesia (56%) and Thailand (52%) also said that Facebook is the preferred platform to seek advice about what to buy from others," said Facebook in the blog post.

There are geographic differences in shopping days of choice however. Mondays are most popular for online shopping in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, Facebook said, whilst Vietnamese prefer Thursdays and Singaporeans prefer Sundays. When it comes to shopping on mobile, Fridays are the most popular day across the region.

Facebook has observed that the shopping frenzy continues into the New Year. While the company attributes the upswing - it notes that in January 2015, users shopped online 19% more compared to the festive season on average - to good post-Christmas deals, Chinese New Year could also be a big reason. Chinese New Year, when new clothes must be worn and home interiors refreshed before relatives and friends visit, is celebrated in Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam (as Tet), as well as anywhere there is a sizeable ethnic Chinese community. It always falls on January or February; it was on February 19 in 2015, and will start on February 8 in 2016.

The breakdown across countries:

Indonesia

• 80% of festive season posts were created on mobile
• Indonesians share 87% more video content and 24% more photo content than the rest of the year
• Shopping peaks on New Year’s Eve with 57% more retail store check-ins, and continues into the New Year with 30% more online shopping in January

The Philippines

• 70% of festive season posts were created on mobile
• Filipinos share 50% more video content and 37% more photo content than the rest of the year
• Shopping peaks on Christmas Day with 59% more retail store check-ins, and continues into the New Year with 16% more online shopping in January

Thailand

• 80% of festive season posts were created on mobile
• Thais share 20% more video content and 30% more photo content than the rest of the year
• Shopping peaks on New Year’s Eve with 98% more retail store check-ins, and continues into the New Year with 7% more online shopping in January

Vietnam

• 70% of festive season posts were created on mobile
• Vietnamese share 100% more video and photo content than the rest of the year
• Shopping peaks on Christmas Eve with 82% more retail store check-ins, and continues into the New Year with 38% more online shopping in January

Singapore

• 79% of festive season posts were created on mobile
• Singaporeans share 22% more video content and 13% more photo content than the rest of the year
• Shopping peaks on Christmas Day with 85% more retail store check-ins, and continues into the new year with 7% more online shopping in January

Source: Facebook. Sourced from Facebook internal data based on inferred and reported data, January 2014 – January 2015 (accessed June 2015).

Interested?

View a regional infographic and link to other country-specific infographics

Facebook recommends that marketers reach out first on mobile with "eye-catching ads with concise copy for the small screen". Read tips for Facebook ads. Facebook also suggests using the Custom Audiences feature to reach potential customers, as well as to reach new audiences similar to current customers with the Lookalike Audiences feature.

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about the 2015 festive season, including:

Singapore Gift Guide 2015, the pleasure edition
Singapore Gift Guide 2015, the tech edition

Who in APAC will be spending the most online, according to the Adobe Digital Index

Hong Kong's Winter Wonderland experience
The City of Sydney's Christmas programme

Sofitel So Singapore's French fusion Christmas menu
The launch of Casa Ferrero, Ferrero Rocher's popup store
House of Sillage launches the Holiday by House of Sillage fragrance

*Includes the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore
**October 2014 to January 2015
***Aged 18 to 24
****Aged 18 to 34
*****Separate polls in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, each with 500 respondents ages 18+, selected as a representative sample of the online population, July 2015.

UAE well-represented in LinkedIn's 100 Most InDemand employers for EMEA 2015

Source: LinkedIn blog.

LinkedIn has unveiled the 100 Most InDemand Employers for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2015*. The rankings reflect the most sought-after organisations across the region and are calculated based on analysing billions of interactions between professionals and companies on LinkedIn, the company said in a blog post.

Nine of the top 100 hail from the UAE, the only Middle Eastern country to be mentioned. At No. 6 is Emirates, No. 15 Saudi Aramco, No. 20 is Etihad, Emaar is No. 27, and Etisalat at No. 30. Qatar Airways is No. 54, while the Jumeirah Group is No. 68. At No. 73 and 74 are the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Mashreq Bank respectively. Dubai Islamic Bank is No. 79, and the luxury firm Chalhoub is ranked No. 98.

More than a quarter of the list (27%) are retail and consumer goods firms, with the next-most popular industry being oil and gas (18%). Technology firms were in third place, accounting for 15% of the list, but were well-represented in the top five with Apple, Google and Facebook at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 positions respectively.

Microsoft is at No. 14, Huawei Technologies is at No. 33, while Twitter comes in at No. 39. In 43rd place is Oracle, while Amazon and Yahoo are 55th and 56th respectively. Dell is No. 62, followed by Cisco at No. 63, Asos at No. 64, Airbnb at No. 71, Honeywell at No. 75, and Uber at No. 84. Adobe is No. 93, HP is No. 94, while EMC is at No. 95.

*The InDemand list takes into consideration:

• Member awareness of a company on LinkedIn (for example, how many members have viewed your employees’ profiles, or connected with them, in the past year)
•  Member engagement with a company on LinkedIn (for example, how many members follow your company’s Company Page or have viewed your Company Page or Career Page in the past year)
• Member interest in Jobs on LinkedIn (for example, how many members have viewed or applied for your jobs in the past year). This year LinkedIn added a new measurement: views or applications to a company’s jobs posted on LinkedIn, including limited listings.

Social media is more important than phone calls or email for customer experience

Source: Genesys infographic.

Genesys, a provider of customer experience (CX) and contact centre solutions, today released a study which reveals that more than a third of companies in Asia Pacific (37%) consider social media as one of their most important CX channels.

The study* shows that while face-to-face communications still ranks as the top CX channel, social media is now more important than both phone calls and email interactions.

“Consumers are going digital more than ever,” said Bruce Eidsvik, Senior Vice President of Genesys Asia Pacific. “In Asia, we hardly think twice when shopping online or posting our feedback and enquiries on companies’ social media channels, therefore it makes sense that we now lead the world when it comes to digital CX engagement. As economies across the region continue to move towards more service-based economies, Asia’s leadership in digital engagement places it as the pioneer that other regions will look to for CX innovation.”

The EIU study shows a direct correlation between CEO engagement in customer experience and profitability. When CEOs lead CX initiatives, those initiatives are more likely to transform a company’s future success. The survey found that 58% of companies reported much higher profitability than their competitors when the CEO is in charge of customer experience, and 59% experience better revenue growth as a result of prioritising CX investments.

Source: Genesys infographic.

In Southeast Asia, investment in customer experience is growing faster than other regions, with 42% of companies boosting investments by more than 10% in the past three years, with an expectation that they will increase by the same margin over the next three years.

The study also found that CEOs in Southeast Asia are more likely to have the final say on CX initiatives than CEOs anywhere else in the world. “Ambitious companies are driving large investments in customer experience initiatives to adapt to the digital communication channels customers are demanding,” said Charles Ross, Senior Editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit and lead researcher of the study.

“By prioritising CX and placing the CEO in charge, companies are taking an extra step to drive revenue growth and improve profitability.”

There is still room for improvement however. Southeast Asia (24%) is the second lowest sub-region in Asia Pacific by customer ratings of their overall experience with companies. Therefore, organisations in the region need to step up their game if they are to make the most of their growing investments in CX technology.

Interested?

The global and Asia Pacific reports are available for download
View the complete infographic

*Conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the survey of 516 senior level executives in 21 countries explores the impact of customer experience efforts and leadership on business performance. A third of the respondents were from Asia Pacific, including Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

posted from Bloggeroid

Four tips for balancing work and play on a smartphone

Source: Microsoft. View the full infographic.

As smartphones are increasingly used for both work and personal life, creating a balance can be challenging. Smartphones such as Microsoft's Lumia 640 and 640 XL include a subscription to Office 365, for example.

Working with Microsoft, Dr Mark Batey, Organizational Psychologist at the UK-based Manchester Business School, has provided top tips for getting this balance right:

1. Be ready when inspiration strikes
“Use a note-taking app on your mobile to capture your brilliant ideas whenever, wherever they strike,” he says.

2. Commute smart
“Tackle smaller, simpler tasks on your commute, clearing the way for you to attack the big jobs when you reach the office,” Dr Batey suggests.

3. Keep your cool
Dr Batey recommends doing some things offline. “If you’re faced with an angry message or sensitive issue, try to handle this in person or at least on the phone,” he says.

4. Prioritise sleep and your partner
“Don’t get sucked into email before bed. Your responses will be better thought-out in the morning,” he adds.

Dr Batey's suggestions are available in infographic form. Interested?

View the full infographic and other tips for work-life balance

LinkedIn explores the new norms @Work around the world in new study

Source: LinkedIn.

Professionals in Singapore have become more confident about speaking up and are becoming more assertive at work, according to new research by LinkedIn, the professional network. LinkedIn’s New Norms @Work study* shows that 58% of professionals would now challenge their colleagues by voicing their opinions compared to when they first started their career. 

One in every two professionals surveyed also disagree that they are “yes employees” — someone who does as he/she is told and is not likely to question authority. Compared with their peers in Malaysia – where 64% of those surveyed said they are “yes employees,” Singaporean professionals are more vocal but trail behind those in Indonesia (37% are “yes employees”).

In Singapore, professionals aged 25-34 – or the millennials – appear to be the most eager to please. Over half or 55% say they consider themselves as “yes employees”, compared to 43% of professionals in the 55-65 age group, suggesting that the confidence to speak up come with more work experience.

“The diversity of opinions in any organisation, if harnessed effectively, goes a long way towards strengthening the quality of decision-making. It will also help to enhance Singapore’s attractiveness as a key regional business hub,” said Cliff Rosenberg, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand at LinkedIn. “Employers need to create an even more conducive environment for employees to feel comfortable about speaking up. Professionals can also share their wealth of expertise on platforms like LinkedIn to benefit a broader group, and to build their professional brands at the same time.”

Some other interesting findings include:

Dressing

While many workplaces have implemented more liberal and casual dress codes, professionals still dress to impress. First impressions do count and close to half (48%) of professionals surveyed in Singapore say that they will dress up more for meetings held during the workday,

Women feel most pressured to impress in the workplace, with 37% believing they get judged more for what they wear at work (the global average is 25%), while men believe they will appear more professional by dressing smartly (46%). Men, however, tend to look for a more prescriptive approach than their female counterparts and prefer an environment that has clear norms of work attire. Overall, there is a clear idea of what constitutes appropriate work wear with 39% of males and 47% of females maintaining separate work and home wardrobes.

Reputation

LinkedIn’s study also suggests that a blemish-free professional brand is extremely important to professionals in Singapore, with some indicating they will go to great lengths to protect their reputations, even if it means being dishonest. One-third (34%) of professionals in Singapore reported that if they were fired from a job, they would make it look like they left of their own accord; 24% wouldn’t mention it at any cost while 1% would even lie about it. Between the sexes, males (34%) are more likely to be upfront and completely honest about the situation, compared to females (27%).

Online profiles

Reflecting the digital savvy of professionals in the country, the online profile photo is now an opportunity to make a good first impression. This is especially so for professional networking sites; 35% of those surveyed in Singapore say they think more carefully about their profile pictures on LinkedIn compared to other social networking sites. Conscious of the need to establish and protect their professional brands, 43% of Singaporean professionals say it is “very important” for them to keep their professional and personal social media profiles separate.

A global comparison of the 19 countries that participated in the study finds that the value placed on one’s professional brand is similar from country to country with some differences across markets:

· Across markets, one quarter of all respondents agreed that women get judged more for what they wear at work.

· In India, one quarter of full-time working professionals reported wearing a suit or formal dress to work the most frequently, compared to only 3% of their counterparts in Sweden.

· Indonesia professionals are the most image-conscious, with the highest number (51%) of professionals there saying they think most carefully about their professional profile picture, compared to only 4% in Japan.

· Professionals are speaking up globally. When asked the one thing they would do now compared to when they started their careers, over half of professionals worldwide reported that they would challenge their boss by voicing their opinion, challenging ideas, etc.

Next steps?

LinkedIn encourages professionals to join the New Norms @Work conversation by sharing their #WorkSelfie on LinkedIn and across social media channels. Visit a blog post for tips on how to take a great work selfie and to learn more about the New Norms @Work global study.

*In April 2015 LinkedIn partnered with Censuswide to survey more than 15,000 full-time professionals around the world. Respondents between the ages of 18-66+ were surveyed in 19 countries including theUS, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the UK to unearth mainstays in office culture and gain a better understanding of how full-time working professionals view themselves and are reshaping their professional brand for the modern workplace.

Singapore talent continues to be in demand: Robert Walters

Robert Walters, the recruitment consultancy, has released its Asia Job Index for Q1 2015, revealing that domestic talent acquisition remains a key priority in Singapore. The Asia Job Index tracks job advertising volumes for professional positions across the leading job boards and national newspapers in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Toby Fowlston, Managing Director, Robert Walters Southeast Asia said, “Recruitment in Singapore is largely driven by competition in the candidate-short market, hence key challenges generally lie in attracting the best talent for the right positions. To address this, the employment market has evolved to focus heavily on talent development and retention. 

Click on the image to view a larger version.

"Companies prioritise Singaporean professionals when hiring and that emphasis will continue throughout the year. Only when all channels of recruiting domestic talent have been exhausted do hiring managers expand their search to foreign candidates. Despite offshoring within the foreign investment banking industry in the last six months, financial services still remain a major part of the Singapore economy and we look forward to a more buoyant sector in the year ahead.”

The key findings are:

· The legal and compliance space saw the largest jump in job advertising volumes, up 30% from 2014. Positions in anti-money laundering and financial crime are particularly in demand.

· IT job advertising rose by 18% from 2014 as companies strengthened their presence on social media and digital platforms.

· Increasing operating costs drove the offshoring of manufacturing plants to other more cost-efficient countries in Asia, leading to an annual 14% drop in advertisements for product and logistics operations jobs.

· The rising importance of the HR function to include business partnering and talent acquisition fuelled the demand for these positions, with advertising for HR roles increasing by 10% annually.

Download the complete Robert Walters Asia Job Index Q1 2015 here. 

L'Oréal creates beauty snapshot of Turkey

L'Oréal continues to listen to real people worldwide in its quest for innovation, most recently visiting  the streets of Istanbul asking Turkish men and women what is beauty for them. 

Here's what they found out:

Source: L'Oréal.

Social media for Asia Pacific makes it to the beach

It's a different travel experience today. Where travellers in the past would have penned their thoughts down on paper, Accor Asia Pacific’s second Social Media Monitor reveals that people spending as much time researching, planning, boasting about and reporting on their travels on social media as they do actually experiencing their destination. 

The survey has discovered that 70% of travellers across Asia Pacific now use social media when they travel, with those from China (84%), Vietnam (83%) and Indonesia (82%) the most active users.

Travellers from Australia, New Zealand and Japan are the least active, but even from those countries two in five are unable to peel themselves away from their devices while travelling. On average, travellers are spending 2.8 hours per day on social media platforms, with the Indonesians, Malaysians and Thais all spending around 4 hours daily.

Accor worked with ORC International to survey over 6,500 travellers across 13 countries to uncover which sites and platforms are most important to its guests across Asia Pacific. As the largest hotel group in the region, with 590 hotels across 17 countries, Accor is uniquely placed to provide a full insight into the social media habits of travellers and the group uses the results to better target travellers where and when they are looking to search, book or share their travel experiences.

“Social media has become all-pervasive in the travel industry as we can see from the results of the latest Accor Hotels Social Media Monitor,” said Jens Uwe Parkitny, Accor’s Vice President Digital Marketing & Distribution.“This survey provides great insight into where our guests are looking for inspiration for their travels, how they engage with social media during their stay and how they share their experiences afterwards.

“We can then use this information to meet their needs at each stage of the customer’s journey. At the same time, monitoring how social media behaviour evolves and changes year on year, allows us to refine Accor’s social media strategy across Asia Pacific.”

Facebook remains the most popular platform for travellers, followed by WhatsApp, but the survey found that made-in-Asia instant messaging platforms have increased in popularity since last year’s survey, with WeChat up 13% and Line up 11%. In some markets these instant messaging platforms have even started to overtake Facebook as the dominant social network for sharing information about travel.

The survey highlights how quickly the social media landscape changes and shows that rich media networks such as Youtube and Instagram are growing in popularity, with 23% of travellers using Youtube multiple times daily and 11% using Instagram. The use of WhatsApp is widespread in the region (33%) and has surpassed Facebook in four markets: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Line is a favourite with respondents in Thailand (71%) and overtook Facebook for the first time this year in terms of daily usage. Line is also among the top three most popular networks in Indonesia (33%) and Japan (26%).

One surprise is that WeChat has knocked Sina Weibo off top spot in mainland China, with three in four travellers acknowledging multiple daily usage. And in Hong Kong, the app also climbed into the top three.

“Accor uses the results of this research to reach out to its customers more effectively,”says Emilie Couton, Accor’s Vice President Guest Experience. “For example, Accor Thailand recently showcased Ibis hotels on a Line Lucky Prices promotion, gathering more than 20,000 participants in just three days. Accor China also launched its WeChat account with a Book Your Next Memories campaign which quickly gathered 9,000 followers and supported the launch of the group’s local website accorhotels.cn.”

Almost half of respondents said they use Facebook multiple times a day (including in China) and just 13% say they have never used it. Women use Facebook the most, with 54% of them using the network multiple times daily (versus 45% for men) and Filipinos are the top users in the region, increasing by 13 points versus last year (73% multiple daily usage).

When it comes to country comparisons, there are major differences. In Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, Facebook dominates all three travel phases (before, during and after the trip). However, in Singapore, Malaysia and India, Facebook is the place to search before and share after the trip, while WhatsApp is used to stay in touch during travel. It’s exactly the same for South Korea, except WhatsApp is replaced by Kakaotalk. In Hong Kong, Facebook is the place to research and plan the trip, and WhatsApp is the platform of choice for sharing during and after the trip. Similarly in China, Sina Weibo is the place to search, whereas WeChat is preferred for sharing.

To download the 2014 Accor hotels Social Media Monitor infographic click here.

What we now know about ebola

Source: WHO.

Update: As of October 20, two nurses who had cared for the index patient have caught ebola. There are allegations that the hospital was not properly prepared for the case, and they did not have proper equipment while they looked after him.

Update: The news broke on October 11 and 12 that a nurse who had cared for the first (index) case of ebola in the US had caught ebola herself. It is worrying because she had worn the full hazmat gear in caring for the patient, and that she cannot remember committing any breach of security, unlike a nurse in Spain who said she had accidentally touched her face with a gloved hand. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is firm that some breach of 'protocol' did occur; the question is where, or whether ebola is not well-understood enough.

The World Health Organization shared a list of ways in which the ebola virus may be transmitted on 6 October. While it's known that the virus is transmitted among humans through close and direct physical contact with infected bodily fluids, the most infectious are blood, faeces and vomit, the WHO said.

The virus has also been detected in breast milk, urine and semen. In a convalescent (recovering) male, the virus can persist in semen for at least 70 days; one study suggests persistence for more than 90 days. This implies that the virus can remain in semen for a longer period, but it remains unclear whether the virus can be transmitted through this method.

WHO also says that saliva and tears may also carry some risk of infection. However, the studies implicating these additional bodily fluids were extremely limited in sample size and the science is inconclusive. In studies of saliva, the virus was found most frequently in patients at a severe stage of illness. 

The whole live virus has never been isolated from sweat. This implies that sweat from a victim cannot transmit the virus.

The ebola virus can also be transmitted indirectly, by contact with previously contaminated surfaces and objects. The risk of transmission from these surfaces is low and can be reduced even further by appropriate cleaning and disinfection procedures.

Ebola virus disease is not an airborne infection. Airborne spread among humans implies that you can catch the virus from inhaling a suspended cloud of small dried droplets. This mode of transmission has not been observed during extensive studies of the ebola virus over several decades.

Theoretically, bigger droplets from a heavily infected individual, who has respiratory symptoms caused by other conditions or who vomits violently, could transmit the virus – over a short distance – to another nearby person. This could happen when virus-laden droplets are directly propelled, by coughing or sneezing (which does not mean airborne transmission) onto the mucus membranes or skin with cuts or abrasions of another person.

However, observation to date is that the spread of the virus via coughing or sneezing is rare, if it happens at all. Epidemiological data emerging from the outbreak are simply not consistent with the pattern of spread seen with airborne viruses, like those that cause measles and chickenpox, or the airborne bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

WHO is not aware of any studies that actually document this mode of transmission. On the contrary, good quality studies from previous ebola outbreaks show that all cases were infected by direct close contact with symptomatic patients.

There are also fears that the disease could change its mode of transmission. The WHO says scientists are unaware of any virus that has dramatically changed its mode of transmission. Speculation that ebola virus disease might mutate into a form that could easily spread among humans through the air is just that: speculation, unsubstantiated by any evidence.

For example, the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has caused sporadic human cases since 1997, is now endemic in chickens and ducks in large parts of Asia. That virus has probably circulated through many billions of birds for at least two decades. Its mode of transmission remains basically unchanged.

The WHO is calling for more to be done to implement – on a much larger scale – well-known protective and preventive measures. Abundant evidence has documented their effectiveness, it says.

Brewing the perfect office cuppa

Teabox, which offers premium teas from India online, says that different types of tea have to be treated differently. 

"Tea is mostly water, so the quality of water you use makes all the difference. Overboiling the water may cause loss of oxygen and as a result, the flavours don't infuse that well. Oversteeping can also result in loss of flavours and make your tea very bitter," said Kaushal Dugar, CEO, Teabox.

The company has a handy guide to brewing the perfect cup of tea:

Source: Teabox.

Dugar said fans of tea and consider investing in two accessories that help them brew better tea, a tea steeper and a tea timer. Teabox does not stock these items, but they can be found online such as at Amazon.

"Making a cup of tea with loose leaves becomes immensely easier with a tea steeper," Dugar explained. "It lets your tea steep in and filters the leaves as you pour yourself a cup. Cusinart's steepers are pretty good."

Tea timers are essential to ensure that tea is steeped right, he continued. "Kuchenprofi's sand timers are elegant and practical," he added.

Read the Teabox story here.
Teabox talks about choosing the right cup of tea for the office here.

Trend Micro rolls out free tools to protect users against Shellshock (the Bash bug)

Trend Micro, a security software and solutions provider, has released license-free tools to help protect web users against the Shellshock or Bash bug across the Mac OSX and Linux platforms. 

Source: Trend Micro infographic.

Broadly publicised the week of 22 September, Shellshock is a vulnerability that can exploit command access to Linux-based systems and adversely impact a majority of the web servers around the world, as well as Internet-connected devices on the Mac OSX platform. The vulnerability has potential to adversely impact a half billion web servers and other Internet-connected devices including mobile phones, routers and medical devices.

"Since this situation has potential to escalate quickly, we are taking immediate preventative steps to help keep the public safe from this unprecedented vulnerability," said Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro. "We believe the most responsible course of action is for technology users to remain calm and apply the resources made available from Trend Micro, and others, to create a strong defensive front. By making our tools accessible free of charge to our customers, and beyond, we are trying to address this 'outbreak' to stop a possible epidemic before it can start."

One of the free tools featured, the on-demand BashLite Malware Scanner, will determine if the BashLite malware is resident on Linux systems.

"Shellshock could be notably more widespread than the infamous Heartbleed from earlier this year," said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. "Heartbleed was very different in nature and behaviour. With Shellshock the threats are much more severe."

For those unable to implement the Trend Micro wall of protection against the Shellshock threat, Trend Micro's threat defense experts recommend the following steps to help businesses and end-users mitigate the vulnerability:

• End-users should watch for patches for Mac OSX and implement them immediately.
• Linux system operators should consider virtually patching until a patch is available from their vendor.
• Linux/Apache web server operators using BASH scripts should consider retooling those scripts to use something other than BASH until a patch is available.
• Hosted service customers should contact their service provider to determine if they are vulnerable and find out their remediation plans if they are exposed.

Trend Micro researchers are currently monitoring this vulnerability in the wild to anticipate additional escalations. The company has released a detailed blog post explaining the vulnerability with additional recommendations to stay protected, and created an infographic detailing what the vulnerability is and how it works. 

Beware, Superman is toxic

Superman is a huge online threat. That's what McAfee says in a blog post. The ubiquity of superheroes outside of the comic books means that hackers and scammers can use them for cybercrime, the company said.

The company has released survey results for the Most Toxic Superheroes using McAfee SiteAdvisor site ratings, and the Man of Steel topped the list. The study determined that searching 'Superman', 'Superman and free torrent download', 'Superman and watch', 'Superman and free app', and 'Superman and online', yields a 16.5% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

Other superheroes also yield high chances of falling victim to malware, including Thor, WonderWoman, Azuaman, and Wolverine. 

McAfee recommends the following to stay safe: 

Be suspicious: If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary

Double-check the web address: Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe (for more on this, read the McAfee blog on typosquatting)

Search safely: Use a web safety advisor, such as McAfee SiteAdvisor that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click on them

Protect yourself: Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe service, to protect yourself against the latest threats

SME lessons from viral campaigns

Promotional products retailer 4imprint has created a new infographic entitled 'Going Viral' which outlines what small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could learn from successful viral marketing campaigns.

For instance, it advises that linking a campaign with something that is already popular, such as a TV show or a book, can be a particularly effective way of enabling a marketing drive to catch on among a certain audience or demographic.

Companies are also encouraged to think about product trials and giveaways to generate long-term interest in their offerings and to build customer loyalty.

Source: 4imprint.

Another key lesson for businesses is that social media can present SMEs with many opportunities to market their brand, with methods such as clever hashtags to spotlight a campaign.

Cheryl Jackson-Leafield, Marketing Manager of 4imprint UK and Ireland, commented: "While SMEs can never guarantee that a new marketing campaign will go viral, they can significantly boost their chances of taking the world by storm by ensuring it ticks all the right boxes."

View the full infographic here.