Week 1: Digital Footprint

Do I really want a digital footprint? To be completely honest, I didn't know if I wanted a digital footprint or not. I've heard about all the warnings about having a digital footprint from my teachers in middle school as well as high school and how we must be very careful on the internet; but I never really realized that having a positive digital footprint could be beneficial for me in many ways. I came into this realization after going through the background information of Week 1 of my adult education course. So what is a digital footprint? It's basically a trail of everything you have done through the internet or even some sort of technology that you may have been unaware of until now. A digital footprint is also known as a digital dossier. In the digital dossier video the narrator makes an eye opening remark. She says that our earliest digital footprint is created through a sonogram before we are even born. 

What is a positive digital footprint? A positive digital footprint is a footprint in which there is no negative portrayal of an individual. In this age, I believe that it is very easy to be sucked into having a digital footprint that many people may not consider to be a positive one. I also believe that steps can be taken in order to ensure that you have a positive digital footprint. For example, just simply thinking twice before putting up a picture on Facebook or Instagram, just taking an extra few seconds and thinking would a prospective employer want to hire me if they saw this picture of me online? It doesn't even have to be a picture, it can be a negative comment made towards someone or something else. I found the idea of Netiquette to be very interesting and intriguing. Netiquette is essentially a list of 10 rules which should be followed in order to maintain a positive digital footprint. After taking a look at these rules and navigating through the website, I learned a lot about how to maintain a positive footprint, and so can you. After reading through the Netiquette website, you can even try the Netiquette quiz and see how well you know these rules. 

I have always been cautious of putting things like pictures or videos online and even the friends I keep on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. I have learned that instead of avoiding a digital footprint at all costs, that I can use it to my advantage especially by maintaining a positive professional digital footprint for social networking platforms such as LinkedIn. As a business student I have come to realize how important this platform is in trying to get a job in addition to networking and keeping in touch with connections. 

Based on the results of the Digital Driver's License exam I have learned that I need to focus on security. This includes ensuring that my privacy settings are turned on my social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But also beyond social media, and to make sure things like my anti-virus and firewall are up to date. Which is another essential part of security as well as maintaining a positive footprint, as anyone can play around with your accounts if you are not careful.