Always Put Your Best (Digital) Footprint Foward.......

Social media is changing the way we communicate and the way we are perceived, both positively and negatively. Every time you post a photo, or update your status, you are contributing to your own digital footprint and personal brand.~~~Amy Jo Martin

In light of recent events in my life, it made me ponder about my son and the digital age.  I have spent countless hours preaching to him about his “digital footprint”.  Telling him teachers, coaches, and future bosses all creep social media sites to see what they can find out.  Moms aren't they only creepers out there.  I've told him numerous times, “Be sure your brain is awake and ready before your mouth or fingers move”. 

Your digital footprint paints a picture of who you are.

So now I wonder if he and other young adults understand what a permanent digital footprint is. Do they get that once they post something on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram etc., it lives in cyberspace forever. This includes text messages on their phones and other types of communication.

Every day, whether we want to or not, most of us add to a growing portrayal of who we are online; a visual rendering that is probably more public than we believe. This portrait helps companies target content at specific markets and consumers, helps employers look into your background, and helps advertisers track your movements across multiple websites. Whatever you do online, you might be leaving digital footprints behind.

I honestly don’t think people realize the level that this can hurt them if they abuse it.  Whether you're a pop icon, a college freshman, or a middle age adult, no one's immune from public scrutiny. A status update or 140 characters Tweet can be enough to seriously offend others, and ruin your reputation.

With presumably every teenager active these days on social media, it is important that they understand what is appropriate and inappropriate for them to be posting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  They all need to follow the philosophy of "Pause Before You Post".  For high school athletes that want to play at the next level, they should never let a 140 character tweet cost them a chance to play or a scholarship.

It’s not only teenagers wanting to play college sports that need to think about their digital footprint.  Adults do as well.  It’s easy to be hurtful from behind a computer screen.  It’s easy to post insensitive comments anonymously. 

But are the comments really anonymous when posted online? Can the posts be traced by using an IP address or anything like that to find out who made the posts? The answer is yes.  Teenagers, as well as adults, need to keep in mind that there is hardly any anonymity online. It is safe to say that a person should not write online what they will regret later.

Bottom line is that many of us are sharing and publishing online.  We need to remember that with each post, status and photo we are contributing to our personal brand.  Wouldn't it makes sense to always put our best foot(print) forward?