I hope everyone has been enjoying their semesters so far. I have found it challenging thus far to change from in-class learning to working in the online world. I think I will eventually be successful in this type of learning environment as the class continues.
We focused on many topics this week including digital footprints, digital etiquette, and blogging. In my reflection, I am going to focus on two main ideas about digital footprints that stood out to me. Following that, I will discuss the results of my own digital footprint by searching my name on Google. I will then discuss my results of digital drivers license exam.
What is a Digital Footprint?
My digital footprint is something that I have always been very conscious of. My parents work in law enforcement and have seen the effects of a person having a negative digital footprint. Something that I found quite interesting when investigating the material about digital footprints, is that a digital footprint exists even before a person is born into the world. From the minute that the ultrasound is taken when a person is in the mother's womb, the digital footprint is created. As a person grows up, their digital footprint grows with them as they go through life. Digital footprint can be described as a trail, traces or footprints that people leave on the web about their personal information. Sometimes it is not up to the person to post something, as they could be tagged in it by one of their friends. Social media websites turn information and pictures into cookies on your computer which are forever traceable.
My digital footprint is something that I have always been very conscious of. My parents work in law enforcement and have seen the effects of a person having a negative digital footprint. Something that I found quite interesting when investigating the material about digital footprints, is that a digital footprint exists even before a person is born into the world. From the minute that the ultrasound is taken when a person is in the mother's womb, the digital footprint is created. As a person grows up, their digital footprint grows with them as they go through life. Digital footprint can be described as a trail, traces or footprints that people leave on the web about their personal information. Sometimes it is not up to the person to post something, as they could be tagged in it by one of their friends. Social media websites turn information and pictures into cookies on your computer which are forever traceable.
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| https://kurtishewson.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/evolution-of-digital-footprints/ |
Positive Digital Footprints
The previous thought in society was to have no online footprint, but as long as people make sure it is positive, there will not be an issue. Keeping a positive digital footprint involves making conscious choices about what is being put on the web for everyone to see. If a person does not feel comfortable with a future employer seeing something that they want to post, the best option is to keep it to themselves. People need to be careful what you are posting because future bosses tend to search up their potential hires on the internet before offering them the job. If their first impression of this person was a photograph that was seen on the internet of them being intoxicated, they are most likely to not be called for an interview. The content that is seen on the internet can either discourage or encourage a boss from hiring you. If the information on the internet is strictly professional and educational, having a digital footprint can be positive.
Another issue with digital footprints is that people are disclosing too much information about themselves to the public. On Facebook for example, there is an option to make the profile private or keep it open to the public. If there is information about where a person lives or they are posting on their wall where they will be in the future, someone who does not know them could see the profile if it is public. A digital footprint tells a person where you’ve gone, where you are going and what you have left behind. Another example of disclosing too much personal information about one's self is when posting an advertisement on Kijiji. When posting an advertisement, you have to fill in the address of where you are selling the item from. Many people do not realize that this can be unsafe. It was until last year that a man gave his exact address and he was abducted when meeting up with someone that was looking to buy something through a Kijiji ad. When posting an advertisement, there is an option to just type in the name of the city where it is being sold and meet up with someone in a public place. This is what people will do now to protect their own safety after the incident that happened.
Another issue with digital footprints is that people are disclosing too much information about themselves to the public. On Facebook for example, there is an option to make the profile private or keep it open to the public. If there is information about where a person lives or they are posting on their wall where they will be in the future, someone who does not know them could see the profile if it is public. A digital footprint tells a person where you’ve gone, where you are going and what you have left behind. Another example of disclosing too much personal information about one's self is when posting an advertisement on Kijiji. When posting an advertisement, you have to fill in the address of where you are selling the item from. Many people do not realize that this can be unsafe. It was until last year that a man gave his exact address and he was abducted when meeting up with someone that was looking to buy something through a Kijiji ad. When posting an advertisement, there is an option to just type in the name of the city where it is being sold and meet up with someone in a public place. This is what people will do now to protect their own safety after the incident that happened.
My Own Digital Footprint
What I found most interesting about digital footprints was the results that came up by typing my name in on google. I had expected to see links to my social media profiles including Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. What amazed me was seeing newspaper articles that had dated back to 2007 about my sport accomplishments. Every article that had my name in it from my hometown had came up because my name had been mentioned in the middle of the articles. Google also came up with websites that had tracked my running career in high school when I used to run cross country. It was very interesting to see that they had grouped all my results together with other athletes in Ontario.
Digital Driver's License
I was happy to learn that I had no areas that needed to be worked on to obtain my digital driver's license. Since I did not get any questions wrong, I am being responsible with what I share to others using technology. I want to continue to have a positive digital footprint by keeping private information private and not disclosing too much information about myself to the online world. Although I did quite well on the exam achieving 20/20, my goal throughout this course is to learn how to continue to use technology in the most responsible way possible.
What I found most interesting about digital footprints was the results that came up by typing my name in on google. I had expected to see links to my social media profiles including Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. What amazed me was seeing newspaper articles that had dated back to 2007 about my sport accomplishments. Every article that had my name in it from my hometown had came up because my name had been mentioned in the middle of the articles. Google also came up with websites that had tracked my running career in high school when I used to run cross country. It was very interesting to see that they had grouped all my results together with other athletes in Ontario.
Digital Driver's License
I was happy to learn that I had no areas that needed to be worked on to obtain my digital driver's license. Since I did not get any questions wrong, I am being responsible with what I share to others using technology. I want to continue to have a positive digital footprint by keeping private information private and not disclosing too much information about myself to the online world. Although I did quite well on the exam achieving 20/20, my goal throughout this course is to learn how to continue to use technology in the most responsible way possible.
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| https://otis.coe.uky.edu/DDL/launch.php |
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