WHAT THE INSTAGRAM HACK TAUGHT ME
NOTE: This blog post is part of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. Just click here to find part 1, 2, 3 and more. Now on with today's post!
Right, so I was minding my own business, when my sister called me last week and asked: 'Have you heard, instagram has been hacked. They're stealing personal e-mail addresses and phone numbers. It's pretty serious!' No, I hadn't heard but the moment I hung up the phone and tried to log into my instagram account I couldn't.
MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WAS GONE!
Instead of seeing my instagram grid, I was asked to submit my telephone number to verify my account. I was suspicious. What if I was falling prey to the hackers my sister had just warned me about? Instead of disclosing my telephone number, I took my husband's phone and via his instagram account tried to see if there was anything untoward happening with mine. However, when I looked for my account, it was gone, and with it all my images as well as my direct line to my 45,000 instagram followers!
I spoke to a friend who reassured me and also to my man who very pragmatically stated: 'If you've lost your account anyway, you've got nothing more to lose. Just log in with your number and take it from there.' So that's what I did and - to cut a long story short - it was a legitimate request to verify my account, all's well that ends well and I'm back in the game.
WHAT THE INSTAGRAM HACK TAUGHT ME
START A BLOG!
The whole ordeal did get me thinking though. Much as I LOVE instagram (and I really love it, I do), I'm beyond happy that I've got my blog for people to connect with me on. Hence, if you don't have a blog and only use instagram to communicate with your followers, please consider starting a blog. It's hard work, but soooo worth it. (It's especially important considering the 'shadowban' and the direction instagram is heading in, which I wrote about here).
START A MAILING LIST
I've only just started an e-mail list myself, but I will be nurturing it more over the coming months. There are no algorithms on e-mail (I mean there kinda sorta are but that's a whole other topic) and it's a lovely, personal way to stay in touch with the people that support you the most. So on that note, if you're not on the mailing list yet, please do subscribe below. I'd be sooo grateful PLUS you get lots of discounts, FREE tools and exclusive content, so it's worth it ;). Oh and if YOU haven't started your own yet, now's the time to do so. THIS is the tool I use and I can highly recommend it (affiliate link)!
PROTECT YOURSELF ON INSTAGRAM
I've generally been quite relaxed about these sorts of things. I mean let's be honest, who in the freakin' world would actually really want to hack into my account? I mean I'm confident about my self worth, but HEY, I am not delusional; I KNOW I'm just way too unimportant for any hackers to get excited about.
Nonetheless, it's still worth being clever and cautious. Hence, please consider Instagram's advice and
exercise additional caution if you receive any calls or emails from unknown or suspicious sources
report any unusual activity through their reporting tools
pick a long password that's harder to crack
turn on the two-factor authentication for extra protection
then take a chill pill ;)
HAVE YOU BEEN AFFECTED BY THE INSTAGRAM HACK?
Please let me know in the comment section below. Or feel free to share any other thoughts about this blog post. I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading everyone. See you next week.
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