Reflections of Our Online Presence

In week three, we were asked to read an article called, "Digital Footprints" by Madden, Mary et al.

According to Wikipedia, "Your digital footprint is a trail left by an entity's interactions in a digital environment; including their usage of TV, mobile phone, internet and world wide web, mobile web and other devices and sensors."

Boy was I happy to learn that “87% of self-searchers who locate[d] information connected to their name say that most of what they find is accurate”(Madden et al, 2007, iii).  

So, I'm not alone :)

I even remember the day, 10 years ago, when a friend and myself “Googled” ourselves and were shocked to learn that we were somewhat famous! 

As the years passed, I recognized that everyone was just as popular as us, keeping in mind that they have created an electronic presence through

• shopping online;
• filling out surveys;
• emailing questions to companies with an online presence;
• having a job with a website that has a staff directory; and the list goes on and on.

Another interesting tidbit from this week’s article was the list of the top types of ‘people’ searches. 

It felt good to see that I conduct 'people searches' for the same reasons as others—

• contact info;
• professional accomplishments;
• background info;
• photos; and 
• public records (Madden et al, 2007). 

In Canada, unlike the United States, the last example can be difficult to acquire online as it usually requires a paid permit of some type. 

Maybe it is a good idea to limit some types of searches and monitor certain public requests of information!?

Due to my job and personal need to be a credible person, I regularly monitor my online presence and of course my public one (the two can be invariably connected). 

As a result, I have not been one of the 4% people who had “inaccurate information…posted about them online”(Madden et al, 2007, 14).

Basically, my online presence is all work and education related—LinkedIn, company websites, and past university involvement.

For the first time in my life, I feel as though I might lose control of how my personal beliefs or intentions might be misconstrued by others.

But realistically, how much longer will we be able to maintain the same level of control of our online presence!? 

Do you know the status of your online presence?