The other reason is my digital footprint. This is something that I often struggle with, and in this era of **internets, and Facebook, and that creepy new app for the iPhone that tells everyone where you are at any given moment, everyone should be thinking a little bit about their public image. It's easy to forget about the things people say in their comments on your photos, or what you were doing in said photos, but what happens when a potential employer decides to 'creep' your page? The other thing we should try to remember is that what happens on the internet stays on the internet...maybe forever?
A couple of nights ago I saw the film Social Network. It was kind of entertaining, and a little thought provoking. I think it helped crystallized a lot of the thoughts I was having about my digital footprint.
A couple of nights ago I saw the film Social Network. It was kind of entertaining, and a little thought provoking. I think it helped crystallized a lot of the thoughts I was having about my digital footprint.
I am a poet, and a blogger, and in a few years I will be teaching high school, which is a profession in which I'll have to keep an eye on my public image. I'm also part of a religious community, the local theatre community, a fixture in Nanaimo's club scene, and potentially a member of the Canadian writing community. While it's easy to keep all of these things separate in the real world, it is basically impossible to keep these things separate on the internet.
This all contributes to the difficulty I find in choosing topics to write about on this blog. I have members of each of these environments reading regularly. Now: I'm not saying that there are things I'm ashamed to write about, or that I am trying to keep things from particular people, but this position does require a dash of integrity, or at least I'm trying to hold myself to a certain level of it.
I guess time will tell. Maybe I'll reveal something disgustingly personal or scandalous, but I probably won't. I'm just here to tell you about the life of a student at VIU. I try to make it interesting, and Google Analytics tells me I'm doing just fine! This is where I shout out to my readers who represent 39 countries, and who have given me over 1100 hits in the last 3 months! Thank you, and thank you!
Before I go, I'm going to share with you what two of my friends said when I asked them if they think about their digital footprint:
Before I go, I'm going to share with you what two of my friends said when I asked them if they think about their digital footprint:
digital footprints are more than what you say about yourself - the internet is read/write - therefore it is also about what others say about you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mydigitalfootprint.com
Definitely. On Facebook, for example, I have friends who have commented on my photos, leaving very personal remarks that I thought were too revealing, and I had them removed.
ReplyDeleteI also pay attention to my digital footprint and frequently delete photos from Facebook that I don't like. However I find that better than disguising that hole in my defenses, I'd rather eliminate it all together.
ReplyDeleteObviously we all have private lives, we all mistakes and so forth. But if we're going to start thinking of our public image, maybe as writers, as employees and so forth, it might be best to avoid situations that could potentially come to light and ruin your reputation.
Celebrities and politicians do this sort of thing all the time. We might be tempted to wonder how someone under so much scrutiny can behave so irresponsibly. Don't they know that someone is going to catch them and make a scandal of it? Of course this is something that celebrities feed off of. The same does not really work for the rest of us.
Best way not to get caught doing something stupid? Don't do anything stupid.