Final Post- Should You Know Your Online Presence or Be Scared of It?

Final Post

Should You Know Your Online Presence or Be Scared of It?

Imagine this. You apply for a job. You get called in for an interview. You walk in the room. You sit down. The interviewer looks at you and says, "Hi, I'm John and I really like the outfit you wore on May 14, 2007." What do you think? How do you respond? Do you thank John? Do you tell John he's a creep? Or do you wonder how he knows what you wore on May 14, 2007 because you don't even remember yourself?

Each day, your online footprint grow as your story is told via the internet. Wether you posted it or someone else did, your name is associated with it and your legacy contains it. For me, my online presence has been growing for years. In middle school, I started a YouTube Channel. I used it to post fun videos, most of which I have since made private or deleted. I also used it to post videos I made of trips I went on like the one below from when I went on a music tour through Europe! As someone going into the media industry, specifically Journalism, I have become more vigilant in making sure the videos I post are ones which showcase my talents, rather than showcase old, mediocre work.

I have a rule for myself which says that I Google myself once a month. Upon searching, about 116,000 results appear. While not all may be posts from me, most relate to me in some way. I scroll through thousands of images, links, and news articles looking for anything with my name in it. By doing so, I am able to not only be aware of what is online about me, but be prepared should someone ask me about something online. Additionally, I find it super important that you always read things as well as read the comments before liking it. I apply this same theory to sharing posts, but I also make sure to research them before sharing. In journalism, you don't want to share or say something that is false so I find it vital to do my research.

On a slightly different note, I always try to make sure that when someone searches me, my LinkedIn and personal website show up first. By doing this, people are able to see my professional side. However, I would be failing if I didn't recognize people will view my social media being that I have an Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and more. Managing seven social media accounts, I understand how disastrous one bad post can be. I rarely ever share my opinion on social media or "rant" about something and if I do, I wait 48 hours before posting it and make people proofread it. I try to stay out of politics, realizing that as an aspiring journalist I must remain unbiased online.

For a 19 year old, I have a very large online footprint. While some may view this as a negative, I believe it helps me to not only get my name out there, but show my competency surrounding monitoring this presence. If you don't monitor your presence, you open the door to trouble getting a job and controversy. Wether you are a person who ends up in the public eye or not, your online presence will force you into the public eye and your privacy no longer will exist.

Video from my trip to Europe

A quick Google search of my name yields 116,000 results