Social Media Roundup: Internet Explorer’s Latest Headache

You may not use Internet Explorer, but a lot of people around you probably do (based on a quick check of our stats, just over a quarter of Associations Now readers use IE, version 11 being the most popular).

Even if you don’t use the browser, if you have friends who do, you may want to let them know about what’s in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Internet, Exploited

For our customers and pals who use #InternetExplorer  (opens in a new tab)– this might be good to read! #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)http://t.co/87rjUGOccF  (opens in a new tab)

— MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) April 28, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Over the weekend a major vulnerability was discovered in all versions of Internet Explorer  (opens in a new tab) going back to IE6. Attackers are able to corrupt a system’s memory using a rogue web page, allowing them to execute arbitrary code. On the security front, it’s pretty significant—so much so that you should probably use a different browser entirely, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommends  (opens in a new tab). The flaw is bad enough, but it’s drawing extra attention because it’s the first major security issue that Microsoft has faced since sunsetting Windows XP. And don’t expect a fix  (opens in a new tab), XP users. (ht @MemberClicks  (opens in a new tab))

Humor Isn’t Easy

Using Humor in Presentations http://t.co/JCagfSAkVv  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)

— Arwin Adriano (@adrianoarwin) April 28, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

“Few things are worse than a joke that falls flat.” That’s the take of Pattie Shock, an academic consultant for the International School of Hospitality, writing on the Cvent blog  (opens in a new tab). Her point? Nonprofessional speakers at your events may not be adept enough to really do humor the justice it deserves, so they have to be careful about how and when they pull out a joke or two. She offers some tips on the kinds of jokes to avoid: Don’t go too obscure, don’t go blue, and avoid jokes that may offend certain segments of your audience. “Popular culture may embrace questionable humor, but it has no place in presentations that are designed to educate and inspire audiences,” she writes. Agree, disagree? Or is the idea of thinking too hard about jokes making you wish that we’d make a couple to lighten the mood? (ht @adrianoarwin  (opens in a new tab))

(iStock Editorial/Thinkstock)