Freshers Beware of The Facebook Fraudsters

This article was originally written for my University's newspaper but they ran out of space and it couldn't be submitted. I thought instead of wasting it, it would be a good idea to add it to my blog for the benefit of freshers. Enjoy!

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Coming to University for the first time can be an incredibly daunting experience. There is so much going on around you - names to remember, fancy dress outfits to buy and god know’s what else - that you begin to forget the important things, like security.

Before I’d even arrived at University, it seemed everybody was adding as many fellow first years from Uni as possible, so you could discuss online about the freshers events you wanted to go to, how many pots and pans you were bringing, and if you were nervous, scared or excited. Most students can probably relate to this, knowing that for the majority of the time, you will never end up meeting half of these people face to face. 

But in the midst of a Facebook-friend-adding frenzy, it is vital to be wary about how much personal information you share on your facebook profile. Internet scams can hit students like a bomb, especially during freshers week, and social networking is an extremely easy way to gain access to bank accounts, student finance accounts and more.

The Student Loans Company recently conducted a study on 1100 university applicants from across England, investigating how much information they share on their profiles, and their feelings towards Facebook-exclusive friendships (i.e. people you only know through Facebook).

The study found that 56% of freshers who about to begin University this year will add most of the new people they meet as their friend on Facebook, while a third would give their phone number to most other students at the same Uni as them. It was also uncovered that the majority had only met 51% of their Facebook friends; despite the fact they had included several important and personal details to their profile for all their “friends” to see. In addition, males were found to be at a higher risk of student finance fraud than females, because they are more likely to accept anyone as a friend and make their profile visible to the public.

More than half of the students interviewed had displayed their relationship status and date of birth to their profile, while 41% shared their email address and 14% included their phone number. It is these types of info which can be used to a fraudster’s advantage, so it is certainly worth removing these details off your Facebook page, particularly during the first year of Uni.

Fraud manager at The Student Loans Company, Heather Laing, commented that freshers students are more vulnerable to ‘phishing’ operations because they are often managing their finances for the first time. The scams tend to work using the details they can easily find on most facebook profiles. They will then pose as The Student Loans Company to attain more details, before eventually gaining access to your money. While loan phishing and scamming is monitored very closely, it is still a big threat to all first year students, usually targeted at the three installment dates for student loans – September, January and April.

It’s extremely important to remember that you will never be asked by The Student Loans Company to update or verify your bank details, date of birth, account numbers or passwords. You will never be asked to provide combinations (e.g. your reference number and your password) on the same screen. You will never be given a choice of a secret question – only the question you gave an answer to when you first applied.

Here are some top tips to staying safe:

• Create a strong password with mixed letters, numbers and symbols for your online accounts and ensure to update passwords regularly. Avoid using the same password for different websites.
• Beware of how much information you include in your profile. Addresses, mobile numbers, dates of birth and email addresses are all ways of gaining access to your important accounts, so limit how much you post about yourself.
• Beware of who you friend. 'Phishers' can easily take personal information from your Facebook page and social bots can use friend requests to hack your network.
• Stay updated with your social network’s security and privacy settings. Sometimes when a website changes its privacy policy, your profile can become more exposed to the public than it had been previously.

Inspired by an article in The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/sep/17/freshers-students

September

Right, I have a bit of a situation. I sat down in front of my laptop to do a new blog post on Thursday evening,  typing whatever came into my head, quite like a stream of consciousness (any psychologist would actually have a field day analysing my brain), hoping that something amazing would come out. But nothing did.

I've now hit the point when I've ran out of things to discuss and I'm not really sure what to do about it. I'm sure I would if I got out of the house and did something spectacular - break a world record or climb a mountain, something like that. But sadly I don't really have the time, or motivation. Because I am a lazy git.

However, I would like to send a little message out there to say thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog and giving me feedback that I was not expecting at all - it's been really lovely to hear that people are actually enjoying reading the rubbish I have been coming out with. As some have read in my post 'Chatalie the Natabox' from a while back, I was absolutely terrified about blogging publicly because I was afraid of the response that I'd get (even found the guts to add a link to my blog on Facebook the other day - ahhhh). Fortunately, you have all been gems and made me feel a lot more confident about carrying on with this. So thank you very much!

Anyway to wrap it up, just to say thanks again and hope you continue to enjoy reading. I've really started to love writing on here. Initially I did see it as something to use to build up my writing portfolio from a professional point of view, but it's become really fun and hopefully it continues to be! Anything you think I should be writing about or you'd like to see me write about (sensible suggestions please...), just leave a comment at the bottom and I'll try and include it. 

Happy September! Have a good one.

Nats. X

What makes an artist an artist?

Setting apart a performer from an artist in the world of music is as pointless as debating which came first, the chicken or the egg.  The simple answer is, we don't know, and never will, because ultimately what makes an artist an artist is completely down to interpretation.  However, that shouldn't prevent us from giving it the consideration it deserves.

The inspiration for this questionable matter was sparked from an article published by NME, which the majority have probably already read, (if you haven't, read the article here).  The piece reported on a comment made by a member of The Vaccines, the indie rock band who stormed into the UK music industry last year with their debut album, 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?'. Freddie Cowan, the band's guitarist, conveyed that pop princess Rihanna is not a real artist because she does not write her own music.

Cowan remarked, "she has 15 writers, 15 songwriters and 15 producers all fighting for space on her albums and she's the face of it."  And in retrospect, this is true. Rihanna's huge international success has quickly sent her to becoming one of the biggest popstars on the planet, but her journey to stardom may not have been so starry without the team of individuals who went leaps and bounds to secure Rihanna's fast ticket to fame.

Nonetheless, does this stop her from being categorised as an "artist"?  In one way, yes.  An artist is defined by their level of creativity and passion, their ability to express their emotions and experiences through the lyrics in their music. Consequently, if a musician were to use the creativity and passion of a songwriter rather than their own, this merely makes them a performer.  In the same way that reading aloud a poem written by somebody else does not make you a poet, singing a song written by somebody else does not make you an artist.

On review, it would seem as though Freddie Cowan has a point.  Then again, his further comment of "I have nothing against it, but I don't want to be associated with it" leads me to question at which point musicians not writing their own music became so repudiating.  Do we lose any respect for Rihanna for not writing all her own material?  While some may say yes, I don't think we do.  After all, there are a number of singers from the past who, like Rihanna, were the faces of songs which they didn't write themselves and are still considered to be legends of the music industry in the 21st Century.  The most well-known hits of the brilliant Frank Sinatra were written by professional songwriters, notably "My Way", "Come Fly With Me", "That's Life", and "I've Got You Under My Skin" were among these.  Welsh superstar Sir Tom Jones did not start writing his own music until he was 62; such tracks as "What's New Pussycat?", "It's Not Unusual" and "She's a Lady" are considered to be the largest successes of Jones' career, yet were not actually written by the singer himself.   Aretha Franklin's massive hit "Respect" was in fact a track written by Otis Redding (subsequently inspiring Franklin to begin writing her own music), yet respect is certainly not something we lose for this highly talented performer just because the song was written by someone else.

Even the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley, had the majority of his songs written for him.  In fact, it was stated by Mick Jagger that Elvis was "a unique artist...an original in area of imitators."  And there's no doubting that Elvis was original.  He introduced a fresh, new and quirky style of music to the ears of several generations, something nobody had ever heard before and ever will again. Thus, it seems Elvis was an artist, but perhaps an artist of his genre rather than an artist of the music.

These world famous singers were and still are adored and loved by so many, regardless of whether wrote their own music or not.  It is questionable, therefore, as to why the same attitude cannot be applied to the singers and performers of the modern age.  Perhaps, it is the sheer difference in musical and historical eras which set the two apart.  For Elvis, Franklin and Sinatra, the music world was a different place to the way it is now.  The competition has since grown in ferocity, and a singer must fight for longer and harder to attain their own little bit of spotlight.  If songwriting is what defines an artist, diversifying a performer aside from others, then that is what they will do to prove that they are distinctive, new and one-of-a-kind.

It is also hugely significant to contemplate where the songwriting industry would be without a need for songwriters.  There are a vast number of people in the world who have an exceptional talent and gift in writing music, but do not possess the vocal ability to perform the songs themselves.  Singers and songwriters heartily rely on each other - often, neither can gain success without the other one.

When all is said and done, we can probably assume that Freddie Cowan's comment about Rihanna's lack of songwriting credit was evoked by a want for publicity, along with a supplementary inkling of the green-eyed monster.  Maybe if The Vaccines concentrated on their own music rather than denigrating other performers, they might actually have a chance at producing material more worthy of attention.

Dedicated to Tinkerbell

If you own a pet, you're obviously aware of how significant they are to you and your life; particularly if they have been there for what seems like forever. Even though they're quite often off exploring and doing their own thing, their presence is monumental, life isn't quite right without them, you'd always feel like there is something missing.

I myself have never had a proper pet - the furthest I got was a goldfish which I had for roughly 5 years before it died and was flushed down the toilet. But in spite of my inexperience I know that the relationship a person and a pet share is like no other - it is unique in every instance and nothing is remotely close to it, nothing can replace it. So when that relationship is lost, when that bond is broken, or when that thread tying the two of you together snaps, it is unfathomable to understand how that must feel.

And while people may say, "It was only a dog", "It was only a cat", "It was only a rabbit", you have to remember that they are the ones that simply don't get it. They don't understand it like you do. A pet is a family member, so losing someone that you have loved, nurtured and watched grow from strength to strength, is like losing a small part of yourself. You made the life that they lived special - to experience the loss of that life is incomprehensible.

I've written this blog post because very recently, my best friend lost her best girl. Tinkerbell was totally one of a kind, a friend, and a part of a family whom she meant the absolute world to. She was a little comedienne, always making people laugh and smile. She'd always appear at the back door at the sound of the fruit jar being opened, knowing that the food was for her, and if even if wasn't she'd make sure at least some of it was. She loved playing in the snow and you could always see where she'd been as the garden would be covered in her little paw prints. And I'll never forget my favourite story of her making her way from the garden through to the living room, placing herself in front of the telly and watching Deal or No Deal - she was a big Noel Edmonds fan. (but then who isn't?).

While it's unfortunate that I cannot appreciate the unique friendship than an owner and pet share, I know for a fact that Tinkerbell was deeply loved and reciprocated her love back to those who took care of her, nursed her and adored her. Tinkerbell made us laugh with all her antics, her funny little ways, and her enormous love for food. Now she can finally be at peace, enjoying a good rest after her long and happy life.

Rest in peace Tinks, thanks for the memories. xxx

"Those who say the music of today isn't as good as it used to be aren't looking hard enough"

I recently heard the quote above articulated by a friend of a friend and I thought it was outstanding. The quality of the way music used to be and the way it is today is something of a neverending debate, primarily because it is based upon when you were born, your taste in music and the type of music you grew up listening to.

I'm a '90s kid. I was born in 1992 and grew up listening to the likes of Spice Girls, Steps, S Club 7, 5ive, Britney…the list goes on. This was the kind of music which made me feel happy and want to dance around my bedroom using a hairbrush as a microphone (don’t judge, we’ve all done it - some more than others). And now over a decade has passed and hearing those songs still has that same effect; the nostalgia of being a kid and wanting that precious time back again is overwhelming.

I then turn to my nine year old brother, who was born in 2003. He has grown up with the likes of One Direction being played on the radio, Jessie J, Olly Murs and Rihanna, and to him this is good music. While I might struggle to understand why anybody would choose listening to “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction over “C’est La Vie” by B*Witched, he has no problem in doing so. This is the music of his childhood, the soundtrack to a time when he doesn’t have a care or worry in the world, a time when he has the freedom of a child that adults so desperately crave.

The world of music has changed enormously over centuries and more so in the last 100 years. In the early 20th century, you would go to see singers and bands play live in bars and clubs in order to listen to their music. Now, we can listen to it anywhere. Not just at gigs, concerts and festivals, but on the train, in the bath, at parties, on the other side of the world, on the moon, wherever you like. And while in the moment, we whine about the autotuned robotic sound of Nicki Minaj and cringe at the thought of Justin Bieber being top of the charts, we have to remember that it's the good stuff that will last.

For instance, does anyone remember Cascada? Basshunter? Their music isn't that old and already it's virtually been forgotten. How about 3 of a Kind, who wrote that awful song "Babycakes", which stayed at number 1 for a week before disappearing into the chart archives never to be heard again? Has anyone uttered any of the lyrics to a Blazin' Squad song in the last 5 years? These pieces of music are not the ones that you want played at your 50th birthday bash to remind you of the good times, simply because they weren't around long enough for you to remember how old you were when they were released.

The music of today is not dead. While in the midst of a music storm in which autotune is being used more often in a recording studio than medication is in a hospital, we must not forget the gems that appear in amongst the other so-called "artists".

We will always have music and while, at the time, a lot of it is terrible, it is the special pieces which will be remembered. These are the pieces of music which will be played at weddings and everyone will still know the words. It is the special pieces that will be played on the radio 10 years after their release date and people will smile and sing along.

You can't blame a teenage girl for listening to Justin Bieber. You just have to keep listening to the music that you love and that is all that counts.

Below I've added a few of my favourite timeless classics, they may take a while to load if your computer is as slow as mine, hope you enjoy!

A bit of a ramble.

I have recently discovered, according to my "blog stats", that the majority of my audience are Russian. So, hello Russian readers. I don't know any Russian I'm afraid, but I appreciate you dropping by.

I'm not sure what this blog post is actually going to be about yet, so I'm just going with the flow as I type. The last week has been a bit of a slow one. I'm currently sat in my room wearing old clothes, drinking coffee and being miserable because I am ill. This, according to general consensus, is what you do when you're ill. You mope. You slob around the house feeling sorry for yourself because you feel rubbish through no fault of your own (contrasted with, for instance, if you got drunk the night before). You can't face eating, you just want to sleep all day and all night until the horrible yucky feeling goes away and leaves you in peace. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to sleep so the yucky feeling is still here and probably intending to hang around for a bit longer. Not for too long though, I hope.

I got Netflix yesterday. I'm only using the free trial for a month thing, I have to cancel it on September 21st, which works out well as I'll be back working away at Uni after that. Because I have a little brother and I spend 97% of my time being with him while my parents are working, I have so far watched 3 kids films in the last 24 hours. These include, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", "Open Season 3" and "Hocus Pocus". Kids films are all well and good but I was on the brink - so when my little brother Luke went out this morning with my parents, I watched The Sixth Sense, primarily to remind myself that while I feel awful with the flu, my life could be a lot worse.

Holiday adventures

Today we returned from our holiday in Center Parcs! I am exhausted, bruised, battered, aching all over the place but I had the most brilliant 5 days! And would definitely love to do it all over again.

This time we went to Elveden in Suffolk, as we've never been to that one before so thought we'd give it a go. I was definitely not keen on returning to Longleat after the last time, I did actually want to have a holiday which I would enjoy and going back there would certainly not allow that to happen. So hence our choice of Elveden, which we had heard was much flatter than Longleat and a bit smaller, so it was slightly more compact with less people.

On Monday, the five of us packed into my Mum's Citroen C3 with loads of suitcases and we were ready to go, with only one mere problem in that my mother's car is tiny. It's essentially a car for midgets. My Dad has been begging my Mum to buy a bigger car for years, and she's been having none of it. She isn't, however, the one who has to squeeze in the back next to a whinging child who radiates heat the same temperature as the sun and a lanky unsociable 17 year old who's blasting dubstep out of his headphones as though he's half deaf, with virtually no room left for important things, like breathing. But that's the joys of family bonding, isn't it? I think? Who knows, the point is, there wasn't much room. However, we were going on holiday for the first time in two years. So I wasn't complaining. That much.

We arrived in our midget car in mid afternoon and it was sunny, happy and had a good atmosphere. I did actually forget that the second you enter Center Parcs, it is like entering your own little world. It's desolate from any towns or cities, there is just beautiful open countryside surrounding you, and it's gorgeous. We hired our bikes and found our little cosy cabin not far from the Center Parcs Village Square. Luke made the rookie error of bagging one of the bedrooms for himself and Jack, before realising that this was in fact the smallest room and the size of a cupboard in comparison to the bedroom he'd left me. So I was happy but Jack was slightly pissed off.

Throughout the week we got up to all sorts of activities to keep us busy. We played Badminton and went on long bike rides which were brilliant, very exhausting, in the case of the bike rides, especially when my Dad was leading the way, but great all the same. We also went on a pedalo boat in the lake, during which time my Dad sent us straight into a water fountain and we were all drenched. The swimming pool was amazing - they usually are at Center Parcs. I'm a little kid when it comes to swimming, I absolutely love it. This swimming pool had huge slides, a really powerful wave machine and rapids which we must have gone on at least a hundred times. It wasn't difficult to go crashing into other people and get bashed and bruised, but that was part of the fun.

I actually ended up injuring myself in the kids adventure playground as well. I was balancing on a horizontal giant rope, and to cut a long story short, I basically fell off it and gave myself really bad rope burn right across my arm. I may be 20 in a few months but I swear I still have the mental age of a 5 year old, it's pretty shameful. But completely worth it....

Tree trekking on Wednesday was quite eventful; we were attached to harnesses and had to do an assault course through the trees, and it was actually really good. I have to confess I had a bit of a tiny incident. I jumped off a wooden ledge to get to the next part of the course attached to a zipwire, and I did reach the next wooden ledge but ended up accidentally heading back down the zipwire in the wrong direction. I was hanging there for a good 2 minutes before one of the helpers came to rescue me. My family have insisted time and time again and will do no doubt until I'm old and grey that I pulled a "Boris" (if you haven't seen the video, I've added it below), but still maintain that I did not. Boris got stuck half way on the zipwire, at least I made it to the other side. Back up on this would be extremely appreciated.

All in all, I would say our holiday was a success! Without consideration of brief family bickering, minor medical implications with my brother which I won't go into, and moments of stupidity on my part, it was actually brilliant. Same time, same place next year, please?