Digital Footprints and Reputations

1. Based on the content provided, what are your greatest concerns with your digital reputation?

I think my biggest concern is that you don’t know who has previously viewed or who can eventually see what you post. The video in which everyone knew “Sarah” was scary because it is very true! You don’t know who is reading what you post; it is pretty creepy to think that people you don’t personally know, they know everything about you! In addition to what you post, your friends post images as well and those images are shared with everyone on their friend list, it is truly amazing how fast information is spread these days. With more and more people connecting via social media everyone can “view” your life by scrolling through your page. It is so important to be aware of what information and pictures you are posting online.

2. What precautions do you have to take to preserve your digital reputation?

After watching, “Attention young professionals! What's in your digital baggage?” We should all take a look at our Facebooks and friend’s Facebooks! I think the precautions you should take in preserving your digital reputation would be to think about what you are posting and who can read that post. Make your profile private and disable others from tagging you in pictures. I think we should keep our personal frustrations in our heads and not write them on our Facebook wall for the world to read. Many people choose social media to “vent”, this seems to only make matters worse! Once you post an image online you can’t take it back, anyone can see it, share it, save it to their computer, print it out, in a matter of seconds it can be viewed by many different people. We must think before we post: would we want our boss, or family members, our students, etc. to see this? If the answer is no, we should not post it.

3. As an educator or company your work for, are you held to the same ‘digital reputation’ standard as others?  Is the standard you are held to fair/unfair? Why?

I think educators must be more aware of their digital reputation than most professions. As an educator, you must think about your students, their parents, in addition to the school district. Your students look up to you, they shouldn’t see your college pictures or your weekend party plans with friends. I think the standards are fair because that is part of your job. How can you teach your students about responsibility and digital reputations if you are not living up to the same standards and guidelines? I think many of us are aware of this and have deleted or have scaled down our social media use, there are advantages and disadvantages to social media, we need to use these sites to our advantage!

4. Whose responsibility is it to teach our children/students to understand/preserve his or her digital footprint/reputation? Educators? Parents? Or is the responsibility on them?

I believe that both parents and teachers should educate children/students on understanding and preserving their digital footprint/reputation. We must teach them when they are young before they post things they will regret later on in life. Technology is such a huge part of our lives today and it is only going to keep growing. I don’t think the responsibility should fall on the children/students, this shouldn’t be a live and learn lesson. We need to educate them in and outside of the classroom. Parents and teachers can contribute different examples and stories about why it is important to keep a positive digital reputation/footprint, as we saw in the videos if your profile is public you don’t know who is viewing your page, it is important to be smart about what you are posting online.

5.Have you or someone you know ever been negatively(or positively) affected by something found online?  Share if you'd like.

 I personally cannot think of a situation where someone I know was negatively or positively affected by something found online. However, I remember reading about Talia Joy:

 Talia Joy Castellano (August 18, 1999 – July 16, 2013) was a covergirl and an American Internet celebrity known for her YouTube channel "TaliaJoy18" that featured her unique makeup tutorials. Her channel was mainly dedicated to makeup, fashion and cancer vlogs where she would discuss neuroblastoma, the disease she battled for six years. At the time of Castellano's death, her channel had more than 750,000 subscribers and 45 million video views. Since then, her YouTube channel has grown to more than 1,000,000 subscribers. Even after her death, her Instagram feed @taliajoy18 has over 2,000,000 followers.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talia_Castellano

This one girl connected with thousands of people from around the world through the Internet. While she was fighting cancer she was posting makeup vlogs and inspiring people to make the most of your life, her story is truly inspirational.

Tlia’s Legacy Foundation: http://taliaslegacy.org/