Digital Footprint

The Facebook Timeline is the Nearest Thing Ive Seen to a Digital Identity

It is hard for me to talk about this topic and the new Facebook timeline because I don’t completely understand it myself. I never wanted to have the timeline on my Facebook, but it automatically happened.  I was not happy or mad about it; quite frankly I just didn’t care much.  Although I use Facebook a lot, I never looked into what the timeline was or how to use it. I still use my Facebook based on how it used to be. I don’t think Facebook timeline is a bad thing and I don’t think it affects anyone much differently then it did previously. Facebook already has its risks that everyone is aware of. The one suggestion this article makes that may be worse with Facebook timeline is the fact that something someone posted years ago can come up to viewers more easily.  This affects people because someone may say something and many years later not feel that same way, or may regret saying it.  I personally did not know that the timeline does this and it hasn’t affected me.   

How Employers Use Facebook to Screen Applicants

While I’ve always heard of colleges screening Facebook when getting applicants to see their true self, I never thought about employers using Facebook to do the same. I have applied to many jobs and I am just starting to think about how my previous employers may have scanned through my Facebook or Twitter. This scares me a little.  I do not believe I have anything bad posted but this article led me to go on and check to make sure. I feel like many people don’t know this about employers.  The surveys also surprised me about just how many employers are checking. The most interesting part of the article is how they not only scan to see the bad, but they also scan to see the good. The article shows that 91% of employers scan social networks to screen prospective employees and 68% of employers hired a candidate because they liked what they saw.  Employers have hired applicants based on their Facebook and Twitter pages and the positive responses they get. For instance they may see that one of their applicants’ Facebook page was created in a creative way and think highly of their creativity.

The power of a positive digital footprint for students

This article is feeding off of what I previously stated about starting to use social media as a positive reflection of people. Many people only speak of the negative outcomes of posts and photos of media but it can be helpful if used correctly. It is more important today then ever to put positive images and start networking early to get experience for future jobs. Because of more competition today, it is important to stand out and make a statement that is unique and personable to you. It is easy to do this by using social sites. I liked the example the article used about online competitions to create a positive online profile.  Instead of participating in events in the real world it has become easier to sign up for various things online, like different poetry or writing contests.   

In Conclusion…

Should students be encouraged to build a positive online profile?  Yes.  Older generations are always complaining about social media sites and telling younger folks to “watch what they post”.  People frequently talk about the dangers and risks of social media sites, but not enough about the benefits.  In the end building an online profile lets people express themselves and gives them a way to be unique and allow others to learn more about them.