Will Your Digital Footprint Cost You a Job and College Admission?
Better Think Again Before You Post Those Spring Break or Mardi Grad Party Pics
Your digital footprint doesn't just stop with social networking sites. Did you know if you have a GPS system in your car, that newer models have data boxes in them just like black boxes on airplanes? Those GPS data boxes in your car record where you drive, what directions you inquire about, and more. Everything you text on your phone or post on a blog is saved as part of your digital shadow. Every time you use an ATM machine or a credit and debit card, your digital footprint gets bigger. If you use a card to pass through the toll booth on your way to work, you are leaving a digital shadow.
The size of your digital footprint and digital shadow may help you or hurt you. Your digital footprint is important if you are looking for a job, trying to get admitted to college, or have an employer that has policies about how you use the computer, both on and off the job. Employers and college admissions officials search the Internet for names of job applicants and college applicants to see what kind of background you really have that you might not have revealed on official documents. College officials and employers frequently monitor social networking sites and take punitive actions against questionable behavior. This is perfectly legal to do.
There are a couple of ways you can check your digital footprint. The most comprehensive way to measure your digital footprint and actually receive a score is by visiting the Digital Footprint site at the Koppel Discovery Channel web site (click here). You will be astonished at the new technologies included in the digital footprint measuring tape that record your personal data and share it with people you might not even suspect have access to your data.
If you are really concerned about your digital footprint and the dangerous digital shadow lurking behind your name, you can use the Digital Footprint Calculator by International Data Corporation at the EMC web site. (click here). Information at this site will tell you the extent of your digital shadow and the implications on the digital footprint growth on industries, individuals, and society.
Another way to measure your digital footprint is to Google your name and see where it comes up in the return. There are a number of amazing horror stories about people with like names that got mistaken for another when questioned by employers. For example, one of my work colleagues has the same name as a stripper on YouTube. If something like that comes up in your digital footprint, you may want to start using your middle initial or middle name in your job and college applications.
In a survey by Pew Internet, 47% of people say they have searched their name, but only 3% of those say they do it on a regular basis. 74% of those who have searched their name say they have only done it once or twice. If you do not think checking your digital footprint on a regular basis is important, ask Janet Dudley-Eshbach, President of Salisbury University who had to remove some vacation photos including questionable captions from her Facebook site. (click here to read article).
Do yourself a favor and keep your digital footprint and digital shadow small and clean.
Sources:
Koppel on Discovery Channel
Your Digital Footprint
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/koppel/interactive/interactive.html
Pew Internet Survey of Digital Footprint
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Digital_Footprints.pdf
EMC Digital Footprint Calculator
http://www.emc.com/digital_universe
Know Your Own Digital Footprint
KOMO News
http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolvers/39757357.html
College President Removes Racy Photos from Facebook After Being Questioned by State
Published by Aly Adair
Aly Adair is an Air Force Veteran with a career in teaching and educational publishing. Aly has an MBA and is a former small business owner. View profile
- Parents Acting as the Watchdogs on Teenagers Interacting with Social Networking We...Parents acting as the watchdogs on teenagers interacting with social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook
- Business: Three Risks and Myths of Social NetworkingA business article about the risks and myths of social networking.
- Social Networking SitesA research paper written during a Fall 2007 semester about the effects, pros/cons, and history of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook.
- How to Create a Social Networking Site! You can be rich and successful using free services and never spend a dime. Become rich like the creators of MySpace and Facebook. Bank on the social networking world.
- Profiles on Social Networking Sites Prove Hazardous for Job SeekersMore often employers search prospective candidates profiles on social networking sites for any inappropriate information, which could derail opportunity for hiring or promotion.
- Sony Mylo: The Next Social Networking Gadget
- ProfileLinker Launches and Lets Users Sync Profiles Across Social Networking Sites
- Alternative to MySpace: TagWorld Social Networking
- Social Networking Part 1 "You've Got a Life"
- Fanpop! - Newest Social Networking Site
- Which Social Networking Site is Best for Your Small Business?
- Caution :People Used to Social Networking Through Facebook or Orkut May Soon Find...
- One in five employers search social networking sites for information about job applicants.
- College officials take punitive actions from information found on social networking sites.
- Many employers have policies on how employees can use the Internet on and off the job.
3 Comments
Post a Commentso true great resources!
Informative article, and great links.
Great information and very true. Poignant article.