Kellie McGalliard, back, and Courtney Matthews, ambassadors with the Lowndes-Valdosta Chamber of Commerce, wait for the ribbon cutting recently at the new Georgia Power Customer Service Center.

Nearly everyone these days has at least one, if not multiple, accounts on various websites. With the news this week that the passwords have been compromised on LinkedIn and on EHarmony, one a site for professionals and the other a site for dating, it appears hackers are getting smarter and companies are getting lax in protecting your personal information.

It’s always a good idea to change your passwords often, especially if it’s a site that you purchase from frequently that has your credit card information. Even though there are supposed to be many safeguards in place to protect that information, well, stuff happens. It’s far easier to change your passwords than to try and rebuild your credit after someone has gone on a shopping spree at your expense, literally.

No matter how secure you think your passwords are, there are ways to decode them, copy them, and steal them. The only defense is a good offense, and in this case, that means being very careful about where you do business online, what sites you visit, and what information you include.

Most everyone knows I’m not a Facebook fan. I tried it temporarily but never had the time to do much with it, and all it did was make others angry at me for not responding to their posts. So it’s gone. But for the short time I had it up, I was constantly amazed at the personal information people voluntarily offer, from birthdates to addresses, and even when they were leaving town! Kids boasting about acts of stupidity have certainly helped police solve crimes, but people seem to forget that once it’s there, it’s always there, and there are professionals who comb these sites to find personal information that can be used in a fraudulent manner.

It’s certainly not just Facebook, and if you go on the Internet, you have to know that others can see what you are doing, what sites you are visiting, etc. If you aren’t careful about what you do, who knows what embarrassing secrets could be exposed. As scary as it is that retailers and others follow your every keystroke, it’s far more frightening to think that someone can download thousands of passwords and credit card numbers, and in a matter of minutes, max your card, and your credit, out.

Business Roundup

It’s official, Kirkland’s is coming to Valdosta and will be located in the former Goody’s building on St. Augustine Road. The renovations are expected to take about two months and they should be open before the end of summer.

The Target renovations are really moving along amazingly well considering that the work is being done while the store is open. They’ve been redoing the store section by section, and the final area is the new grocery section. Expect to see a grand opening sometime in the next two weeks.

I understand that after many years, Ryan’s is closing its doors in Valdosta sometime in July. Other locations in this region and in several states have closed in the last year or so, so it’s not isolated to this area. The good news is that a local restaurateur is ready to take its place, but I can’t announce it officially for another week or so.

It looks like the YPAC at Smith Northview closed this week. The Youth and Pediatric After Care clinic was convenient for many families on that side of town, but SGMC consolidated the services at its new after hours children’s clinic on North Ashley Street.

The new Georgia Power customer service center on Norman Drive had a ribbon cutting ceremony this week for the new facility. It will allow for much easier access for customers, and is located in the former First State Bank building in front of Harveys.

There is a new Chinese restaurant going into the building beside Harveys on Bemiss Road, and several small shops that have opened recently across from the base.

Still have heard nothing about the sale pending sign on the former Heilig Meyers building on North Patterson Street across from the Crescent. Anyone?

I understand a former employee is taking over the location of Wing Zone to reopen it, but under another name. I’ll find out more this week about it and about the re-opening of the Adel Catfish House.

Kay Jewelers in the Valdosta Mall is getting ready for a store remodeling.

In front of the mall on St. Augustine where the pool place used to be is the new Mattress Firm store. A specialty national retailer, Mattress Firm is open seven days a week, and they have really renovated that building and made it look terrific (at least from the outside!).

And good news for Lakeland as the brand new McDonalds opened there this week. A very excited community turned out for a ribbon cutting and VIP breakfast last Tuesday.

That’s it for this week, but if there’s anything I missed, please let me know!

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