Have you ever "Googled" your name in the search engine? What did you find? Did you see all the past remarks you made in your friends' blogs? Did you see the nostalgic photos that you saved on Flickr 5 years ago? And please do not be surprised that you may find your personal information available to the whole population of the Internet such as your education background and employment history.
It may not be a bad idea of letting people know everything about you. Well, on positive note, potential employers might find you the most suitable candidate for the current vacation in their organizations. However, the exposure of your personal information and history to public might make you be the target of dangerous people or scamming syndicates. We might also be target of revenge of some people who have some issues with us, without us realizing it. Therefore, as Internet users, we should maintain good and safe online reputation of ourselves. I came across this website which informs us on the do's and don't in the world of Internet. Let's have a quick look on what are the do's and don'ts.
Don'ts
1. Don't post compromising photos on your Facebook page.
Many Facebook users update their life by posting interesting photos to be shared among their friends in the network. Even though you may have set the photo as 'private', which only allows access to trustworthy people, there are chances that these photos will be in the dangerous hands. In relation to this, you can read this news on how a woman was denied her insurance claims due to the photo she posted in her Facebook.
2. Don't make hasty comments in online forums or on other people blog spots.
Even though there are many of us who like to hide our identity by being a misnomer, we have to remember that we can still be tracked via our IP address. Sending hasty comments on online forums or people blogs will make you the target of revenge of some other users. You can never be safe. Making hasty comments will also make you unpopular in the web.
3. Don't try to confront an obviously intentional online hackers/detractors directly.
These hackers are expert in their field (that is hacking). If you try to confront them directly, you can expect to be harassed by them virtually and continuously. Let's allow the authority to handle them.
4. Don't assume everyone shares your sense of humor.
Jokes on races, religions, cultures and countries should be avoided at all costs. Some people might be easily offended by your remarks, which you assume to be funny. But then, you have to remember that not everyone share you sense of humor. You might be severely attack (physically or virtually) by some extreme people who cannot take the joke any less.
Do's
The usage of social network will be advantageous if we keep our profile clean and connect ourselves to trustworthy people. Your presence in the social network will make easily accessible to potential employers and business opportunities.
2. Take up blogging.
I salute my Professor of MIS750, Dr. Zaidi for making us to create this blog. This actually becomes a platform to most of us, who are initially not keen on connecting ourselves to the web world. Having to do this, we are at least being equipped on the basic knowledge on how to express your view publicly. I am sure many will continue the livelihood of their blogs even after the class ends. For those of you who are still not sure on how to start blogging, please go to Blogspot and Wordpress. It is easy and user friendly.
3. Regularly monitor your online reputation.
We can monitor our online reputation by subscribing to the Google alert which will notify you when a new mention of you pops out online. This will at least keep you updated on who are the people that mention you and their interests in you.
4. Try to get accurate information changed.
If someone put wrong and inaccurate remarks about you, it is important to let them know that the information is incorrect and inaccurate, and require them to change the information accordingly. The last thing you want is some other strangers to have wrong perceptions on you.
5. Keep your social network healthy.
Make sure you are connected to a group of trustworthy people. In social networking, you might think that having thousands of friends shows how popular you are in the network. But then, how sure are you that these 'friends' are really your friends? They can be your silent enemy who monitor all your movements and will act when the right time comes. So, please be aware on who to accept as your friends.
6. Remember, the Internet never forget.
One way about nowadays technology is whatever you posted in the internet will be saved up there in the 'cloud' , permanently. Even though when you already deleted your private emails, censored photos, intimate conversations from your inbox or facebook page, your information will be there in the cloud, forever. These data is retrievable. So, please be alert before you post anything in the Internet.
Hopefully, the above list of dos and don'ts will help us in managing our reputation online. Till then, happy online!
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