Matrix Group International

Month: March 2022

  • An Example of a Really Great Event Registration Email Confirmation

    An Example of a Really Great Event Registration Email Confirmation

    An IPhone Mail Application with two notificationsA couple of weeks ago, I got invited by my buddy Heinan Landa, CEO of Optimal Networks, to an event by CADRE, which bills itself as “a way for elite professionals to learn from the top experts in the world, while connecting and developing meaningful relationships with like-minded peers.

    The event itself was lovely, but what I want to highlight today are the wonderful emails that I received after registering for the event. Usually, I get a nice, neutral, thank you email confirming my registration and payment. Instead, I got a plain text email that was clearly a canned email, but it was really effective. I loved that it was plain text, and the email read like it came from a real person. There was even an offer to introduce me to other attendees. 

    Hi Joanna, I am looking forward to meeting you at YOUniversity on Thursday! I am impressed with your business and there may be a few attendees who would be good for you to meet and vice-versa. With that in mind, who do you want to meet? I'm not looking for names necessarily but rather, types of professionals (industries), folks with certain skills sets, or shared interests, etc.? If you get back to me before the event, I will make an effort to introduce you to some cool people (if potentially relevant and mutually beneficial). Let me know if you have any questions. Either way, I look forward to seeing you soon!

    So what did I do?

    I replied to Derek’s email, introduced myself and took him up on his offer to connect me with some other attendees. And you know what? He was true to his word and I got introduced to someone who I was delighted to meet because we have things in common. 

    Imagine this: CADRE got engagement from me prior to the event, which made my interactions during the event even more meaningful. My takeaway is this: revisit your event confirmation emails. Are you merely confirming payment or connecting with your attendees? Are you just confirming attendance or giving attendees a genuine opportunity to start interacting with you? Are you making them feel welcome?

    I say act like an undercover meeting attendee and review all of your event emails. What will you find?

     

  • It’s Really Time to Use Strong, Unique Passwords (Really!)

    It’s Really Time to Use Strong, Unique Passwords (Really!)

    A silver key and a blurry reflection of the key on a dark table with a blurred background.

    I attended the Matrix Group Security and Compliance Committee meeting this month and I asked them what we’re doing this month to make our clients and Matrix Group more secure. We talked about a lot of things, including new protocols, ongoing reviews, and our yearly security assessment. One thing kept coming: our clients need to set stronger passwords.

    Most People Set Weak Passwords

    How do we know that our clients don’t have strong passwords? Because they tell us that they know they need stronger passwords. Or they share their passwords so we can access their DNS or their analytics reports. Or they set up accounts for us and they give us laughingly simple passwords. Or they say things like, “I have a spreadsheet with all of my passwords” or “I use the same password all the time.”

    Why You Need a Password Manager

    Folks, it’s past time to use strong, unique passwords on each and every single site that you have an account on. If you reuse passwords, one breach means your entire digital life is compromised. If you use versions of the same password (e.g., variations on Coffee), believe me, the bad guys know you’re doing this and they know how to crack the code on these passwords.

    So what’s the answer? It’s simple, really. Use a password manager. Here’s a great review by Cybernew of the best password managers, updated in 2022. Me, I use LastPass; my whole family uses it, including my 11-year old. I let LastPass create strong, unique passwords for me. Everything goes into LastPass, including my Amazon Prime PIN and my airline frequent flier passwords and account numbers. 

    Why I Love My Password Manager

    Here’s the beautiful part: since I have LastPass installed as a Chrome extension, LastPass populates login pages for me. On my phone, since I have LastPass installed as an app, I use Face ID to populate passwords. The upshot is that I have strong passwords AND it’s easy to log in to my various accounts.

    And you know what else? LastPass lets me know when one of my sites has been breached (so I know to change those passwords) and tells me which of my passwords are weak (also so I know to change them). Did I tell you I love LastPass?

    It is waaaaay past time to use strong, unique passwords. Do yourself a GIANT favor and get a password manager. Get it for your parents, your spouse and your kids. Help them get started. Make your digital life safer and make the Internet a safer place. Do it. Now.