Menoducayshunul - geek peek

A while back, you may recall, there was a move which transferred Blogger URLs onto the HTTPS protocol. Those who had custom domain URL had to wait a little longer, but do now have the option for HTTPS.

image; YouTube screenshot

Why bother? READ THIS. In short, using HTTPS has three main benefits:

• Authentication
• Data integrity
• Secrecy

Now, you may think you have clicked the switch in your settings to make your blog HTTPS... however, you may also recall that there was talk of 'mixed content' when it was all getting rolled out. No? Well, to keep it as simple as can be, it boils down to whether you use non-Google plugins in your side-bar, or place non-Blogger templates and backgrounds (for example, Hot Bliggity Blog and others like that). If the plugins you opt for do not come from HTTPS-protected sites or contain the appropriate security coding, using them on your site will degrade your own security standing.

Here's a question... how many of you make a habit of checking the address line (URL) of the sites you are visiting? Now, how many of you check your own addresses? I was a little surprised to find that my photo blog was showing as 'not secure', but then remembered that I had used a 'foreign skin' when I last redecorated. Removing that sorted out the problem. Go on. click on your own blog/s and check...

Why should you care? Well, even if you are not bothered about the security of the data of the visitors of your site, you must surely be concerned whether you are open to attack from hackers and spammers yourself? Not the comment spam which appears from time to time (and remember, the best practice is not to simply delete, but to mark these as spam in both your comments listings on the dashboard sidebar and in your email alerts - Google does follow up on all notifications of spam). Blogs, in general, are not high on the list of hackers, but it does happen from time to time and it is happening where HTTPS has not been adopted or where mixed content is a big problem.

image; OpenClipArt

A third thing to consider here is whether you have the latest updates of your browser and/or any plugins you use. Good computer hygiene is not just doing the anti-viral runs but also checking weekly for coding updates. Even if you have auto-update on. I recently discovered a new version of Chrome which I thought would have auto-updated but had not.

Right. You've checked and discovered that your site is insecure. What are you using that has caused this to happen? Blog 'dressups'? Widgets that are not from Blogger itself? These are the two commonest culprits. Quite simply, you need to remove them and find HTTPS compliant options. Other problem sources could be video plugins, images from insecure galleries or HTML coding which has missed something...okay, I know most of you are not doing your own coding, but it behooves me to mention all possibilities. (For the true geeks among you, this page is worth a read!)

BOTTOM LINE; for fullest available security, ensure you do not have mixed content and that you have taken the option to switch to HTTPS. This is not just good for you, it is courtesy to your visitors.

Feel free to spread the word by linking back to this post; many of you I visit show up as 'insecure' and, whilst it will not stop me visiting, it does tickle this geek's slightly OCD not-so-funny bone! Not everyone I visit reads this blog though - so spreading the word would be a good thing. Think of it as a neighbourhood watch for Blogville!!!