Protect Your Online Image

January 27, 2012 1:26 am

According to Microsoft Corp.’s recently released data on consumer behaviors online, everything we do, from responding to emails and texts, to clicking "like" and "retweet,” to uploading photos and making purchases online, contributes to our online reputation. According to the tech giant, now is the time to take charge and resolve to actively monitor and safeguard our online reputations.

Microsoft commissioned a survey of 5,000 people that revealed a wide variance of online behaviors and attitudes and explored the resulting impact to people's overall online profiles and reputations. With respondents from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Ireland and Spain, the research shows that although 91 percent of people have done something to manage their overall online profile at some point, a smaller percentage feel in control of their online reputation (67 percent) and fewer than half actively think about the long-term consequences of their online activities (44 percent).

To help people put their best digital foot forward, Microsoft offers the following tips to help cultivate and maintain a positive online reputation:

Stay vigilant and conduct your own "reputation report" from time to time. Search all variations of your name in popular search engines, and evaluate if the results reflect the reputation you'd like to share with the world, including current or future employers, colleagues, friends and family members. Research found that 37 percent of adults rarely or never do this.
Consider separating your professional and personal profiles. When you are job hunting, applying to school or looking for new insurance or a loan, remember that your online profile can be a determining factor for hiring managers and application reviewers. Be sure to use different email addresses, screen names, referring blogs and websites for each profile, and avoid cross-referencing personal sites. Fifty-seven percent of adults think about taking steps to keep their work and personal profiles private; however, 17 percent of people have inadvertently shared information online that was intended to remain private. Most commonly shared are details about one's personal life (56 percent) and personal photos (38 percent).
Adjust your privacy settings. Review and use the privacy settings on the Web browsers, social networking sites, and personal blogs you use. Privacy settings help manage who can see your information, how people can search for you, and who can comment, along with giving you the opportunity to block unwanted access. According to the survey, 49 percent of adults do not use privacy settings on social networking sites.
Think before you share. Think about what you are posting (particularly personal photos and videos), who you are sharing the information with, and how it will impact your reputation. Talk with friends and family about what you do and do not want shared about you, and ask them to remove anything you don't want disclosed. Fourteen percent of people have been negatively impacted by the online activities of others. Of those, 21 percent believe it led to being fired from a job, 16 percent to being refused health care, 16 percent to being turned down for a job they were applying for, and 15 percent to being turned down for a mortgage.
Be a good digital citizen. The Web has a long memory. Conduct yourself in a civil manner, showing respect for those with whom you engage.


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