Your+Digital+Footprint

= Your Digital Footprint =
 * Digital footprints** are traces left by someone’s activity in a digital environment. There are two main classifications for digital footprints: passive and active. A passive digital footprint is created when data is collected about an action without any client activation, whereas active digital footprints are created when personal data is released deliberately by a user for the purpose of sharing information about oneself.In social media, “digital footprint” can refer to the size of one’s online presence as it relates to the number of individuals he or she is interacting with (Source: [|Wikipedia]).

To better understand how digital footprints are formed and why it is so important to be aware of the tracks one leaves, watch this short video from [|Digital Natives].

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Google Yourself
Searching for yourself can reveal a great deal about your digital footprint. Go to [|Google] and try these search techniques suggested by [|McAfee Security]: > >  What type of information was returned? Did anything you find surprise you or give you cause for concern?
 * Type in your full name in quotes (e.g. "John Smith") then click the “Google search” button.
 * Search for your email address or IM screen name; make sure to include the full email address.
 * Do the same with your nickname, and then your telephone numbers, mobile numbers, and street address, remembering to keep the quotation marks around anything you need to find in one phrase.
 * Search for blogs and newsgroup postings about yourself by clicking on “groups” or “blogs” above the search screen on Google.
 * Repeat the search, with your name in quotes, for images as well.

As part of a back-to-school address aimed at millions of students, President Barack Obama advised kids and teenagers to "be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life."

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Real Stories, Real Consequences
Even with privacy settings, it's important to remember that whatever you share online (1) is never really private and (2) will exist forever. The consequences of not thinking before you post can include public embarrassment to being expelled.

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 * Too Much Information** : Consider these real life examples from Facebook and Twitter; is this the type of information you want to share with the world?

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 * Fired Over Facebook:** Sixteen year old Kimberly Swann of Clacton, England wrote on her Facebook page that her job was boring. She didn’t identify her company, and only her friends could see it, so it shouldn’t have been much of a problem. However, she then began adding co-workers as friends on Facebook, and one of them reported her to management, which resulted in her instant dismissal. So now, instead of only her friends seeing her say that Ivell Marketing & Logistics was a boring place to work at, everyone who performs a Google search for their name can see 8 out of 10 listings (plus a Google News listing) that talk about the firm firing a 16 year old for being in the natural state for her demographic - bored. (Source: [|Serengeti Communications])


 * Disciplined and Expelled** : From Facebook to YouTube to personal blogs, future doctors are crossing the line — and getting in trouble. A new study finds most medical school deans surveyed said they were aware of students posting unprofessional content online, including photos of drug paraphernalia and violations of patient privacy. Some infractions resulted in warnings, others in being expelled.

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