My Digital Footprint Management Plan

Last week, after looking at our digital footprints, our assignment was to create a digital footprint management plan. At first, I was unsure how to go about this. This was at least partially due to having been involved in the online world of blogging for so long that many of the ideas and concepts behind a person’s digital footprint were fairly familiar to me. After a bit of thought, some perusing of the web, and a fair amount of procrastination, I think I came up with something that gives a good direction to overall management of my digital footprint going forward.

As I developed this plan, three key areas of focus became evident. A sort of triangle of power for personal online reputation and footprint making. After all, at least half of the effect on your digital footprint is found in just knowing that it exists and being a proactive participant in its creation. These three key areas of focus are 1) Be Active, 2) Be Smart, and 3) Be a Contributor. Let’s look a little more in-depth at each.

Be Active

Visibility is key for a positive footprint. That doesn’t mean going out and posting a bunch of cat memes every day though. There are several parts, in my plan, that I place within this category.

• Be an early adopter – I used to do a lot more of this, and I’ve fallen out of doing so. Not only does being an early adopter ensure that you get the account with the optimal name (your own), but it also means that by the time the late adopters arrive, you’ll have figured out how to use the platform/tool and can help the rest of the community to adapt to it. I’m going to make an effort to get back to being an early adopter.
• Publish often – This goes back to the visibility. How many of us scroll through our Twitter and Facebook feeds and never see something that our friend just posted? It happens all the time. If you want to contribute (more about that later), you’ve got to be visible. And being visible is far more likely if you’re more prolific (10 Pro Online Reputation Management Tips For Local Businesses, 2014). I’m going to attempt to publish more often and do so as efficiently as possible by pushing to multiple platforms at the same time when possible.
• Only do as much as you can handle – Let’s be honest. We’re all busy. I know I am! Full-time job + Family + Master’s degree = super busy all the time. So, whatever I do with my digital presence, it has to be something I can handle. Both in quantity and scope. I will do my best to limit what I do to only that which I can handle and do to the best of my ability (Mitchell, 2018).
• Keep a list – I keep finding places that I’ve created accounts and have no recollection of doing so. One of the tools we’re using this semester is Diigo. I don’t remember creating an account there, but it turns out I had. Over 10 years ago. I’m going to attempt to keep a list of the accounts I create/have. Some of this will be done in LastPass. It’s a handy password management tool where I can create different categories and such.

Be Smart

I like to think I’m a pretty smart guy. But that’s not what this is about. Instead, being smart about my digital footprint is about being a good digital citizen while also protecting my own interests. For me, this includes doing some of the following things.

• Think before you post – Posting while angry or just posting something that can be construed as mean can be a big deal. Remember that everything you post has the potential to exist forever in the digital world (12 Tips For Students To Manage Their Digital Footprints, 2019). I’ve been fortunate enough that some of the first things I did on the web existed before things like the Internet Archive existed. But, no more. So, I will always think about what I’m posting and whether it contributes to the good of society. And if it doesn’t? I won’t post it.
• Protect yourself – I’m not terribly good at keeping my online doings private. This means that anything I do online is likely out there and available for anyone. Much like thinking before I post, I also have to take precautions about what I’m doing. This includes making sure that the privacy settings are set correctly, and that I am doing a good job of curating the information that’s available to me (Purewal, n.d.). I never have had it happen, but this also means taking action to remove anything that is incorrect or disparaging (A Teacher’s Guide to Managing Your Professional Online Reputation – Keeping Safe Online – Hwb, n.d.).
• Pro vs. Personal – Most of my online activity at this time is done on my own personal accounts. When I was more active, I had both personal and professional accounts. I will be doing a bit more thinking about whether it’s valuable to my digital footprint to separate my personal entirely from my professional, teacher, persona. I’m undecided on that at this time.

Be a Contributor

• Give knowledge – I teach. There’s a reason I got into teaching (it’s a second career for me) and that is that I like sharing knowledge and helping people understand something. I have knowledge that can freely be given online and I will attempt to give it when the occasion arises and do so more often.
• Be social – I’m a bit of an introvert. I’d just as soon stay home and watch a movie or play video games as go out and do anything social. Social media actually presents an interesting way to be more social while being at home. I need to take better advantage of that ability.
• Share alike – Giving knowledge is a good thing. I’m not the only one out there who can and should do so. When I see someone has given knowledge that is valuable to the community, I will share it for others to see. This also serves as a way to build up a little bit of a goodwill bank for when I give knowledge and those people share it.

If you’ve read this far, you’re likely to have realized that many of these items aren’t applicable to only my digital footprint. All of them likely would apply to your own as well. Feel free to use them in your own digital footprint management plan as you curate a healthy digital footprint.

What are some important pieces of your digital footprint management plan that I didn’t include in mine? Leave a comment and let me know!

References:

10 Pro Online Reputation Management Tips For Local Businesses. (2014, January 27). Search Engine Land. https://searchengineland.com/10-pro-online-reputation-management-tips-for-local-businesses-182230

12 Tips For Students To Manage Their Digital Footprints. (2019, May 10). TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/11-tips-for-students-tomanage-their-digital-footprints/

A teacher’s guide to managing your professional online reputation—Keeping safe online—Hwb. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://hwb.gov.wales/zones/keeping-safe-online/resources/a-teacher-s-guide-to-managing-your-professional-online-reputation

Mitchell, D. (2018, May 17). Four Personal Reputation Management Tips For Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/313537

Purewal, S. J. (n.d.). How to manage your online reputation for free. CNET. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manage-your-online-reputation-for-free/

Writers, S. (2019, May 28). How to Manage Your Online Reputation. BestColleges.Com. https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/manage-your-online-reputation/