Top 10 Reasons for Using Social Media

GlobalWebIndex’s social report shows 40 percent of the surveyed internet users are most likely to use social media platforms to keep in touch with friends, making this the top reason for social media use globally. Among 16 to 24 year-olds, the key reason for using social media is not to keep in...

[ This is a content summary only. Visit our website http://ift.tt/1b4YgHQ for full links, other content, and more! ]

by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Dock by Crestyl

Official presentation of luxury housing developer Crestyl's latest project Dock.
by via Awwwards - Sites of the day

Cool Layout with Complex Chainable Animation

A tutorial about creating cool layout with complex chainable animation by using css animation and javascript.

by via jQuery-Plugins.net RSS Feed

How to Use Social Media to Find Employees

There is nothing more complicated than finding a perfect candidate for a certain position. The requirements are always high, and every single HR manager knows that they still are not enough to hire a person, as the individual characteristics also do matter. Sometimes, the process of finding an...

[ This is a content summary only. Visit our website http://ift.tt/1b4YgHQ for full links, other content, and more! ]

by DIW via Digital Information World

Why the IoT Threatens Your WordPress Site (and How to Fix It)

This article was sponsored by Incapsula. Thank you for supporting the partners who make SitePoint possible.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are increasingly a fact of life for any business with a web presence. For any company, large or small, it’s no longer a matter of “if” you will get hit with a DDoS attack, but “when.” And without a third party provider like Incapsula, WordPress sites are increasingly vulnerable to bots delivering DDoS attacks.

The more popular a platform is, the more likely it’ll become a target for attacks. And WordPress is by far the most popular platform on the Internet. The CMS accounts for nearly 60 percent of market share and comprises a staggering 25 percent of all sites across the web. Of all those millions of sites, 60 percent are running older version of WordPress, or newer, but unpatched versions that are vulnerable to becoming bots to participate in an attack.

Based on industry reports and current trends, the prevalence of DDoS assaults is increasing at a rapid pace and recovering from the damage of an attack can also take months or years. Over half of the respondents in an Incapsula survey (52 percent) reported their organization had to replace software/hardware, or that it had lost revenue. An additional 43 percent confirmed that their organization lost consumer trust.

Patching WordPress Won’t Stop a DDoS Attack

“The biggest security vulnerability is an outdated WordPress component,” says Eric Murphy, Director of Security at WP Engine. “The most important thing people should be doing is ensuring their WordPress core, themes and plugins are all kept up-to-date. Understanding the OWASP Top 10 further enables users, developers and engineers to protect their WordPress assets.”

Murphy’s right. Patching your WordPress site will keep your site stable and prevent a lot of attacks. But it can’t stop a determined DDoS attack. Even if you employ the most diligent WordPress admin to stare at a screen, who tests and applies patches as soon as they're released, and tirelessly keeps the site up-to-date, your site can still be brought to its knees by a DDoS attack — costing your business sales, resources and reputation.

Another reason your site is vulnerable to DDoS attacks is because they’re sourced from a growing matrix of unpatched IoT devices that span the Internet. Many (most?) vendors who are bringing devices online aren't prioritizing security and instead opt for customers’ ease-of-use. The reasoning is that whenever an extra layer of security is required, it could potentially affect sales.

Yet another reason that security is an afterthought for IoT devices — even in the age of the DDoS hack — is that vendors are bringing their products to market as quickly as possible. If they get it to market first, they can win or even dominate market share. So the product is dropped with an immature or even non-existent security framework with a plan to fix the security issues later. But in the meantime, your WordPress site is hit again by another attack vector.

The Trouble with IoT

The proliferation of IoT devices is directly increasing the number and strength of DDoS attacks. Nearly any smart device can be leveraged in a DDoS attack. A couple of white hat hackers demonstrated how a Nest thermostat could be used to extort money from its users. Nest is owned by Google and can afford to patch the vulnerabilities, yet many smaller companies with IoT devices cannot afford to regularly patch them.

Continue reading %Why the IoT Threatens Your WordPress Site (and How to Fix It)%

by Dino Londis via SitePoint

Digika

Simple but unique One Pager for Control Engineer, Jacek Juskowiak, that gives us a snippet of his daily work view. Cheers for the build notes!

by Rob Hope via One Page Love

What Type of Design Education is Best For You?

In 1919, modern design education leapt into the public consciousness as the Bauhaus school was unveiled in Germany. Bauhaus was a design school whose primary intention was to bring all fields of art together.

Compared to the way design had been previously taught, Bauhaus focused on the concept of modernism, which emphasized simplified forms, rationality, functionality, and the idea that mass production and industry could be reconciled with artistic sensibilities. Around the same time, the Parsons School of Design was being built in New York City by Frank Parsons, who believed that art and design would soon become deeply connected to the evolution of modern business and industry. The curriculum he built was similarly focused on teaching students the fundamentals of modern design.

Throughout the 20th century, hundreds of design universities spread across the globe, spurred on by the early successes of Parsons and Bauhaus. However, design education was nevertheless still reserved to people who were able to afford to attend an institution. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. The proliferation of the internet has democratized the process of becoming a creative professional like never before. The traditional methods of learning design (e.g. going to a university) still exist, but so do hundreds of other incredible tools, both online and offline. With the proper combination of determination, discipline, and time, practically anyone can learn the skills needed to become a designer.

[caption id="attachment_157564" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Bauhaus school[/caption]

But with so many options available just a few mouse clicks away, how do you decide which option is the best fit for you? And how do you ensure you’re getting the feedback and critique you need to properly build up your skills (since studies show that 1-on-1 teaching throughout your education can significantly improve your ability to improve quickly)?

We know that the options can feel overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list of the best ways to learn design depending on your personality, budget, lifestyle, and personal goals. And if you ever want to chat with an experienced designer as you embark on your creative education, check out this article that provides some tips for finding a design mentor.

If You Prefer a Formal Education in a Traditional Classroom

If you have the budget and time, a formal education at an accredited design school is still one of the best ways to become a designer. Not only will you spend years learning the fundamentals and practicing with modern design tools, you’ll also be constantly surrounded by students just as passionate as you and teachers with decades of experience in a number of industries.

Check out a list of the best design schools in the world here and here, and the best schools in the US here.

Upsides

• You’ll spend years learning the fundamentals at a design college. This can really help to set you apart when you’re looking for jobs and expanding your technical abilities.
• Being surrounded by hundreds of people always trying to do their best work and teachers who live and breathe design education.
• Many top design schools pride themselves on constantly updating their curriculum to keep up with modern design trends.
• An incredible alumni community and career services department that will help you find a job upon graduating.

Downsides

• Slow. If you’re hoping to become a designer as quickly as possible, design school likely isn’t the best option for you, since most schools take at least 3 years to complete. Some colleges have expedited programs but those will still take at least a year.
• Expensive. Most traditional design schools will set you back at least $100k.
• Fairly inflexible curriculum. After choosing a major you have more choice in what classes you take, but you’ll still be required to take a ton of core classes first.

Perfect for anyone who:

• Learns best in small classroom settings and likes to have someone to hold them accountable
• Thrives when surrounded by other people trying to accomplish the same things as them
• Has a high budget (design school can cost well north of $100k over several years)
• Has the flexibility to quit their job and not work for several years (or just work part time)

If You Want to Become a Designer ASAP

If you’re working a job you don’t like and are looking to move to a more fulfilling career as quickly as possible, a bootcamp might be the best bet for you. Bootcamps come in many shapes and sizes. Some take place in-person and others take place entirely online. They generally include 40+ hours of weekly classroom instruction, as well as frequent group assignments, 1-1 sessions with an assigned mentor, and great job placement opportunities. In terms of payment, many bootcamps allow you to pay upfront — or take the course for free, if you agree to pay them a fixed percentage of the salary from your first post-bootcamp job!

In-person bootcamps are generally preferable to online bootcamps, since there are a ton of intangible benefits to being in the same space as your teachers and classmates. Some of the best reviewed in-person bootcamps are General Assembly and Shillington.

If you prefer to learn online, there are also a ton of great options. Schools like Bloc and Springboard are paving the way when it comes to online bootcamps. You can find a full list of bootcamps here.

Upsides

• Extensive job placement opportunities. Bootcamps are designed explicitly for people trying to find jobs quickly, so that’s where their biggest focus lies. After graduating, most bootcamps hold job fairs with lots of companies in attendance (mostly in the tech world).
• Being surrounded by lots of other hyper-motivated people just like you. During most bootcamps, you’ll work on group projects with your classmates and be paired with mentors to give you feedback and critique.
• Speed. Bootcamps pack an entire design education in to 3 months. They’re hard work but you can bet you’ll come out on the other end with more knowledge than you thought possible in such a short time frame.
• Curriculum that is built around the most modern and up-to-date design theories and tools, with a focus on preparing you for the job market.

Continue reading %What Type of Design Education is Best For You?%

by Alec McGuffey via SitePoint