Digital Footprints
Every time you go online you leave a trace of yourself behind.
What is Your Digital Footprint?
The goal of this activity it to have you complete an activity to help you recognize the digital footprint you are creating. Furthermore, we hope that you are able to take this activity as a starting point to discuss digital citizenship and digital footprints with your friends and family members.
Whether we are online to research a topic for school, to find resources to use in our learning, to shop online, to use social media sites to check in with our friends and family, we leave traces of ourselves on the Internet.
Even when we are in the comfort of our home, using our own personal devices, we are communicating with the world on the Internet. We are creating a public identity that everyone can see and that we cannot delete.
While this is not an exhaustive list, digital footprints are created in through:
Your tasks:
Things to consider:
For a closer look at yourself you may wish to use site specific commands; example .facebook.com “ first and last name”
Whether we are online to research a topic for school, to find resources to use in our learning, to shop online, to use social media sites to check in with our friends and family, we leave traces of ourselves on the Internet.
Even when we are in the comfort of our home, using our own personal devices, we are communicating with the world on the Internet. We are creating a public identity that everyone can see and that we cannot delete.
While this is not an exhaustive list, digital footprints are created in through:
- Google searches: Google will read your searches and your GMail to customize the advertisements for products and services you may be interested in
- Online purchases: When you purchase an item online you are required to give them your personal information for payment and shipping. This information can be circulated through third-party sites, which may sell your information.
- Social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter: We frequently have conversations with what seems to be only your friends; however, you are not able to control what your friends allow access to. While you may have a friends only setting, your friends may not. Then there is the tagging of photographs and videos that occurs.
Your tasks:
- Brainstorm: Do you know other ways in which digital footprints are created?
- Reflecting on your personal online usage; what information do you think others could determine about you by doing a quick online search of your first and last name?
- Search Yourself: Using multiple online search engines, search yourself! Take note of the information that appears when you search your full name (first and last). Search using “quotations.”
Search engines you may wish to use:
Things to consider:
- Google; note the different results when using Google.ncr (No Country Reserved)
- pipl
- All The People
- Do all of the results relate to you specifically? Or is there another person that appears with your name as well?
- Does someone else own domains that use your name?
- Is there information you would prefer not appear in the search results?
For a closer look at yourself you may wish to use site specific commands; example .facebook.com “ first and last name”
Conquering your Digital Footprint
There are three easy steps to conquering your digital footprint.
1. Discover Your Digital Footprint:
Do an online search to check what others can learn about you online. Is there something in the results that embarrasses you? Something you would not want your employer or teachers to discover about you?
Make sure to do regular searches. While you might not have posted anything online recently, it does not mean a friend or family member has not.
2. Take Advantage of Your Digital Footprint:
You can take advantage of your digital footprint by publishing more about yourself. It is suggested that upon Googling your name, you should have control over the first page of Search Results. What does that mean? It means that all the the results on the page should be authored by you, not by another person posting and sharing something about yourself or tagging you in a photograph on Facebook.
3. Monitor Your Digital Footprint:
Listen up! Do you use social networking sites? If you do pay attention to the settings. Most social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram default to sharing your posts publicly. It's important that you set the settings to avoid this, or to pay careful attention to what you post online.
Ideas to Help You Manage Your Posts
1. Discover Your Digital Footprint:
Do an online search to check what others can learn about you online. Is there something in the results that embarrasses you? Something you would not want your employer or teachers to discover about you?
Make sure to do regular searches. While you might not have posted anything online recently, it does not mean a friend or family member has not.
2. Take Advantage of Your Digital Footprint:
You can take advantage of your digital footprint by publishing more about yourself. It is suggested that upon Googling your name, you should have control over the first page of Search Results. What does that mean? It means that all the the results on the page should be authored by you, not by another person posting and sharing something about yourself or tagging you in a photograph on Facebook.
3. Monitor Your Digital Footprint:
Listen up! Do you use social networking sites? If you do pay attention to the settings. Most social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram default to sharing your posts publicly. It's important that you set the settings to avoid this, or to pay careful attention to what you post online.
Ideas to Help You Manage Your Posts
- Do NOT include anything on a public profile that is embarrassing. Will it be embarrassing later? If you're not sure - don't post it or make sure to keep it private.
- Change privacy settings on the social media sites.
- Create multiple profiles: personal and professional.
- Do not use your real name for a social profile. That way it will be more difficult for those in your professional life to find out about your private life.