The good, bad and ugly: Online Reputations

A reputation says everything and your reputation made through your “online identity” could make or break you and your chances of landing the perfect job. Before the internet it could be easy to leave a reputation behind and start again by just moving to a new area or going somewhere the people didn’t know you, but now with the internet and “online identity” it is hard to run from your past. Solove stated, “We may find it increasingly difficult to have a fresh start,a second chance, or a clean slate.” Creating and upholding a positive online identity is extremely important and crucial in any career, especially education. A positive online identity can be very beneficial.

I have used Google to search myself before and did again for this assignment. In the present and the past I have only found a few articles that are actually about me. These articles are things that I did in high school, such as the school newspaper and sports, and college, for example, my involvement with the Greek community. Using the MIT’s Personas project only found 2 articles that it evaluated associated with my name. It showed that computer-based searches mainly see me related to politics. The Online Identity Calculator placed me as digitally distinct. This means that a search of my name showed a lot of positive results about me.

I am a user of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and I am extremely careful with the information I share and the information posted about me. I found the following statistic from Solove frightening, “According to one study of Facebook users at a particular school, the profiles “provide an astonishing amount of information: 90.8 percent of profiles contain an image, 87.8 percent of users reveal their birth date, 39.9 percent list a phone number . . . and 50.8 percent list their current residence.” Although I am guilty of a couple listed statistics I would never reveal my current address on an online site. Along with Facebook and MySpace, I also have a blog and now an “About Me” page.

I recently created the “About Me” page using Google profiles. This was a fun and easy process that allowed me to create a profile the way I wanted with the information I chose to display. As a professional educator it is extremely important to present ourselves as positive role models both inside and outside of the classroom. I hope to use my blog and Google account in my future classrooms to communicate with parents and display student work. Shelly (2010) gives many examples on how teachers can use web pages such as sharing student projects, promoting specific activities, or creating an e-book.

Solove quoted the Book of Proverbs in saying, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Always be aware of what you as an individual post on the internet and what is being linked to your name. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to clear bad traces to your name. Schools and all future employers will most likely use the internet as a source before hiring you so make sure it’s a good source.

*Future of Reputation by George Washington University law professor, Daniel J. Solove

New Google Profile!

Hello Fellow Followers,
I just created a Google Profile. Check it out by clicking on the web address provided below. Stay tuned for more to come!

http://www.google.com/profiles/ginnielanderson

Enjoy,
Ginnie :)