Another crazy morning! After attending my first
ever Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) movie last night—Ten Year— and rolling into
bed at the uncanny hour that I did, I once again woke up at 6am to attend my
morning lectures. Now I may have been working on 4 hours of sleep, but I didn’t
miss a beat of my Digital Media lecture. Today my prof talked all about ones “Digital
Footprint.” A digital footprint, by definition, is ones digital trace &
memory of their time online. Whenever someone logs into an account, posts a
comment and/or picture online, they are leaving their footprint. These
footprints are pretty much permanent, because as my prof always says: “Google
never forgets.” Does that scare any of you? Does the idea that any small thing
that you do online, will never be forgotten? Now I’ve got to admit, the thought
is a little eerie—But, should it be?
Since I can remember—well since Facebook &
Twitter and all that got big, people have continuously told me to be careful
what I post online. “Remember everyone can see it,” is what I always heard and
as a tween I never realized the true meaning of “everyone.” In my mind,
whatever I posted online my friends could see, maybe a few people in my family,
definitely the website creators & that was about it. I never understood
that what I was posting in the moment could potentially be seen by future
profs, employers and practically anyone willing to pay enough money to get some
dirt on me. It’s such a bizarre thought. It’s wild and exciting, yet slightly
intimidating all at once. I mean it would be cool for future employers to see
everything I’m interested in & all I've done that could benefit their
company, but I don’t really want them reading that silly, unthought, totally
pointless comment I posted on my best friend’s Facebook wall.
When I searched myself online, in attempt to
discover my digital footprint, I didn’t find a lot. However, what I did find
was a little shocking. On google, I found the usual: Twitter, Facebook, The
blog I write for and my old MySpace account. On top of that though, I found
some odd things such as a few of my old profile pictures from Facebook &
some posts I made on Facebook groups in the past. It felt awkward to think that
other people, not in the group and possibly not even on Facebook could see
these things. What happened to my privacy settings? Searching myself on Google
and Spezify really allowed me to play the employer role and discover my true
digital footprint.
Your digital identity is one that not only your
close friends and family will know. Who you are online reaches beyond anything
you can imagine. Anyone, anywhere with a simple internet connection can type
your name into a search engine and learn about you. After todays lecture, I
have learned how to better my digital Identity—as it is important, because of
the generation I was born in, to make sure I am an active part of the online
world. With creating a Google Profile (https://profiles.google.com), an online resume
(http://www.flavors.me)
and buying my own domain name (www.Godaddy.com/canada), I can literally
decide what someone will find when searching my name. It is highly beneficial
to put myself out there—in a positive, professional way and not simply with
Facebook & Twitter. I suggest that all you readers should do the same.
Think about it! If you’re sitting in an interview and your (possible) future
employer types your name into google, they will see someone who is organized
AND tech savvy rather then the typical Facebook & Twitter user. Just
remember! As my prof often says: “Google never forgets.” SO KEEP IT CLEAN!
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