Your Identity in an Online World
A mere 10-15 years ago, having an online identity meant you were on the fast track socially or professionally.
Today, not blogging or networking is the exception.
Just how broad an internet presence do you need? And if you’re in the slow lane, how can you catch up without compromising your privacy or safety? We’ll explore what having and maintaining an online identity means…and what can actually happen if you don’t keep up with web networking.
Getting to Know You…Even if You Are You
It may surprise you to know that whether or not you blog, belong to a network site like Facebook or Twitter, or even regularly send emails to family and friends, your name may already be on the world wide web.
The company you work for may list you as Employee of the Month, for example, or a distant associate may recall an anecdote that involved you in some way, and have blogged about it.
A quick test is to Google your own name. If you have a common first and last name, include your middle initial, or one other piece of information, such as your company or home town. Whether or not you choose to network, connections are being made all around you daily…and will eventually include you.
How Not Networking Can Backfire
Unfortunately, leaving your online identity wide open is as good as an invitation for online thieves to snatch it up.
There are a variety of reasons con artists may pose as other people online. Simply creating a false identity from scratch doesn’t have as much validity as a name that can be verified in other places on the web. And a thief who has found you knows he can “prove” himself by handing over links that really do include you as proof that he or she is a “real person”.
Eventually, it’s all bound to break down, leaving your name out there for all time as a person with a bad reputation…even though you didn’t do a thing wrong.
Can Presence and Privacy Coexist?
I it all seems a little unfair, remember that progress always comes with a price. What about privacy? you may be wondering (and rightly so).
Actually, even those who do regularly communicate along a network value their privacy. Though most of us, as human beings, like to make connections with others, we naturally want control over what—and how much—we share.
If you choose to join a networking site, choose one with plenty of privacy options. You can often “hide” information if you wish, or share it only with people on your Friends list. Be careful with photos, or don’t post any at all; the choice is up to you. Hide your last name and/or town as well.
At the same time, make sure your real identity is an internet presence in some form. For example, Linkedin.com is an excellent choice for creating an online identity as only your professional information is asked for. Your wife’s and children’s names, your town, and what you ate for breakfast aren’t expected from you–just the (probably already searchable) facts.
You may also wish to periodically look up your name via the search engine of your choice (or choose more than one, though generally, results overlap). If anything fishy comes up, you can attempt to correct the situation before it gets out of hand.
Above all, be responsible about what information you share. Compromising nostalgia pictures of your high school senior class trip may wind up in your children’s (or employer’s, your minister’s or a current beau’s) hands eventually. Even if you later delete information or an entire account, if it has existed in the past, the information may have already been gathered and saved for a variety of reasons by people you don’t even know.
As with anything else on the internet, watch what you post and what other people post about you—and you’ll find your experience not only more satisfying, but more safe.
