Update: Efemr‘s website is no longer available.
First up, a correction:
Last week, I told you about Google Authorship. I said it only worked if you had a custom email address. And TFR reader Jessica L. pointed out that I was 100% wrong.
There is a workaround for people with just a Gmail address. Follow this tutorial — it’s “Option 2,” and it’ll explain how to work around it. It’s actually really easy to do.
Moving on…
I’ve never done this in the newsletter, but I wanted to take 3 minutes today to recommend that you NOT use a tool.
It’s called efemr, and it’s a tool that will auto-delete your tweets after a pre-designated period of time. Basically, it’s a “This Tweet Will Self Destruct In TK Number of Minutes” button.
Don’t use it.
There are a few tools out there that claim to do this — that claim make your communications secure. Some of them do work. But most…. do not.
One of my colleagues at BuzzFeed wrote in December about SnapChat, the texting app that claimed to delete your content forever. But, of course, it had a giant loophole. And efemr has a similarly giant loophole.
So here’s something to remember: Once content goes online, it almost always stays there forever. Sometimes it gets pushed to the side, sometimes it becomes harder to find… but it doesn’t disappear.
So everyone: Be careful what you tweet, and text, and post, and do on the internet. Be skeptical of tools that claim to do magical things with your information.
And also, don’t use that efemr thing. It’s not worth the trouble.
Now get out there and tell some great stories today!