Do I Need a Digital Footprint? (Take 2)

RE-WRITTEN BLOG POST

Like many my age, I have an existing digital footprint. A digital footprint is trail left behind from your activity on the internet. According to Tech Terms (2017), a ‘passive digital footprint’ is a “data trail you unintentionally leave behind online’, and a ‘active digital footprint’ “includes data that you unintentionally submit online”.

So what does this mean?

I personally believe that an active professional digital footprint is an important asset to those wanting to be noticed, and understood within a positive light. A passive digital footprint is difficult to control, and has the potential to good or harm to an individual’s image, because of the open state of the internet, individuals (and groups) need to be very careful about what they do online, as one can never be truly sure what will surface from the ’depths of the internet’. St. Aidan’s Catholic Academy online ‘E-Safety’ resources outline some cautions individuals should consider taking on social media. Their document ‘What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Social Media’ is a great resource for schools, and outlines some important points.

While the idea that everything you’ve done on the internet is recorded may seem daunting, this can be a useful tool for individuals and groups. Facebook has over a billion accounts, Twitter has over 500 million, and sites such as Linkedin are designed to help promote businesses. Today, it is possible for one person to reach millions of people at once, without ever meeting them. It wasn’t long ago that this kind of feat was impossible!

Yes, our online image needs to be monitored, and we should aim to be mindful about what we post, but we should never be too scared to use the remarkable resources we have been handed.

It is a teacher’s duty to help children understand this, so that they will be able to succeed in the future world, so future (and present) teachers, let’s unite! Let’s find ways to continue positively adding to our digital footprint, while contributing to those we have contact with, whether online or offline.

References:

Harper, C. (2015). 20 Benefits To Using Linkedin Even If You Don't Sell To Other Businesses. [online] Social Media Fuze. Available at: https://socialmediafuze.com/need-linkedin-business/.

St. Aidans Catholic Academy. (2017). What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Social Media. [online] Available at: http://www.staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/What-every-teacher-needs-to-know-about-social-media.pdf.

Techterms.com. (2017). Digital Footprint Definition. [online] Available at: https://techterms.com/definition/digital_footprint.

PEER FEEDBACK

ORIGINAL BLOG POST

Like many my age, I have an existing 'digital footprint'.

My digital footprint is comprised of many different things, a trail left behind from my activity on the internet. Personally, most of my footprint comes from social media, sites such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram are designed to help you share parts of your life with others over the internet.

I personally believe that professionally, a digital footprint is very important to have. Nowadays, if you want to know something about someones business, the first thing you do is 'Google' them. What comes up may be their website, Facebook page, or a relevant news article. Personally, if I cannot find anything on a business, or particularly negative facts on the internet, I lose interest, or become uncomfortable, and generally refuse them over other groups with stronger digital presences.

But what about a personal presence? It is often stated that 'too much' of our lives are now being shared online. Comments regarding 'Big Brother', 'Hacking' or 'Stolen Identities' are thrown around far more commonly than ever before, yet we continue to display our lives for our 'friends' (or followers, often I'm not sure how well we really know those we're connected to), not knowing exactly who will see our supposedly private information.

Multiple times throughout my course I have been warned about my 'digital footprint'. The idea that anything I do on the internet is open to the public, and through my future career's connection with others, will likely be the target for many 'Google searches' in order to determine what kind of person I am. I have been warned that certain images or words could cost me a job, and that if anything negative is found online directly linked to me, that I could be in for serious trouble.

It's clear that I need to be careful about what I post, but what is appropriate?

Thanks to sites like 'blogclarity.com', we can see the boundaries of our personal footprint, but often these sites don't reveal the boundaries of our professional one, and as I've mentioned, in this da and age, often our professional one is what people seek.

Yet, are these two so closely linked? Concordia University (2014) features a page claiming that the two can be kept seperate if you are careful, stating that there are 'do's and don'ts' when it comes to your social media presence.

I believe that these are all great points, and should be seriously considered by anyone who chooses to have a professional 'digital footprint'. One thing I do think needs to be added however, is the importance of filtering what you, or others share on your personal profile. In today's world, one can never truly be sure of the safety of their social media accounts, and should take particular caution around what they post. A great resource on what you should be considering can be found through St. Aidan's Catholic Academy and their document 'What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Social Media', through their 'E-Safety' support sheets.

This is a very well-written, short and educational document, I would definitely suggest giving it a read!

I know many people that disagree with the idea of expanding their digital footprint, and while it depends on the situation, I believe that it is very important for professional wanting to be seen in a positive light should actively work to expand their digital footprint in a way that makes them look better. I also believe that it is crucial for both one's professional and personal online presence (no matter how much or how little) to be carefully monitored and thought through in order to expand their future possibilities, rather than shutting doors due to a negative digital footprint.

An interesting article on this topic can be found at 'Today', under 'Social media boundaries: Should teachers and students be 'friends'?.

It explores the unknown boundaries between teachers and students online, and draws some thoughtful questions on the matter that likely will be considered by those in the teaching profession at some point.

References:

Friendlyschools.com.au. (2017). Cyber Strong Schools. [online] Available at: http://friendlyschools.com.au/cyberstrong/4-professional-conduct/4.1/4.1.4.

Fleming, A. (2014). Social media boundaries: Should teachers and students be 'friends'?. [online] Today. Available at: http://Social media boundaries: Should teachers and students be 'friends'?.

Fuglei, M. (2014). Dos and Don'ts for Using Social Media as a Teacher. [online] Education.cu-portland.edu. Available at: https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/educational-social-media-use/.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner. (2017). Digital reputation. [online] Available at: https://www.esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/esafety-issues/digital-reputation.

St. Aidans Catholic Academy. (2017). What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Social Media. [online] Available at: http://www.staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/What-every-teacher-needs-to-know-about-social-media.pdf.