What is Digital Footprint and why does it matter?
Digital Footprint is the footprint you leave behind in the digital world of the Internet. In today’s day and age it is almost impossible for most people not to have a digital footprint. We form a digital footprint through various means on the Internet – Online shopping, web surfing, social media, and even applications like Skype.
So, why does your Digital Footprint matter? Your Digital Footprint is a trail of all our online activities that anyone can track through various databases. Therefore, it is extremely important that we keep a track of our online activities at all points of time. Most people think that one’s Digital Footprint is only about what they say on Social Media, but that forms only a part of it. In simple terms your Digital Footprint is a record of your online actions.
Your Digital Footprint is your digital reputation. It is defined by your behaviors in the online environment and by the content you post about yourself and others. Your online interactions will shape how you are perceived by others online and offline. Remember, your online information could be there forever and your personal information may end up being seen by people you don’t know, including potential employers.
Here are some tips to manage your Digital Footprint:
- Google yourself. Search for your name every few months so you’re cognizant of the information others have access to.
- When you link your Facebook or Twitter account to a new site, you may not realize what you’re giving it access to. It’s usually safest to use a secondary email address to sign-up for new sites rather than granting this kind of access.
- Once something is posted, it can be difficult to remove. If you wouldn’t want a potential employer seeing something, don’t post it! The Internet never forgets.
- Don’t be on more social networking sites than you can handle. Keep the profiles you use frequently and delete any accounts you don’t update often.
- Check your privacy settings on all Social media, so that only those who need to see what you share are seeing it and no other prying eyes.
Cleaning up your digital reputation can be a difficult task but it is not impossible. You may not be able to erase the past, but you can build a better image of yourself online over time.