As I think about my digital footprint, I am not too concerned about mine. I am old enough that the internet was not around when I was in college the first time. I have been hyper-aware of what I post and have done a relatively good job of keeping myself professional and secure while online. I do worry, however, about my teenagers and their presence online.
There are so many kids, and adults for that matter, that don't know how to be responsible online; I worry they don't know how to protect themselves from their own past. I Googled, Asked, and SmartPeopled myself and didn't find anything that was out of line with what I thought I would find. I do, however shop online like a madwoman and need to double check on my settings and password strengths. Deleting cookies is another step I'll be taking to decrease my digital footprint.
I was with my father-in-law this evening and he relayed a story to us. He has an acquaintance that googled him and found out about his professional past, even though he retired almost 15 years ago. He was not impressed with how much this acquaintance knew about his career just by typing in his name. I was able to say, "That is called your Digital Footprint!" I was able to explain to him what it is and how that footprint affects him even today.
There are so many kids, and adults for that matter, that don't know how to be responsible online; I worry they don't know how to protect themselves from their own past. I Googled, Asked, and SmartPeopled myself and didn't find anything that was out of line with what I thought I would find. I do, however shop online like a madwoman and need to double check on my settings and password strengths. Deleting cookies is another step I'll be taking to decrease my digital footprint.
I was with my father-in-law this evening and he relayed a story to us. He has an acquaintance that googled him and found out about his professional past, even though he retired almost 15 years ago. He was not impressed with how much this acquaintance knew about his career just by typing in his name. I was able to say, "That is called your Digital Footprint!" I was able to explain to him what it is and how that footprint affects him even today.