Do you want a digital question? I don't think that's a question easily answered. Truthfully, I don't think you have a choice (unless you live in the woods!). But for many of us who don't live in the woods and own an electronic device that connects us to the digital world (especially in Canada), we almost certainly leave a digital footprint. I think it's too late for me to think about whether I "want" to leave a digital footprint, but instead I am embracing it and hopefully using my digital footprint to my advantage. Leaving a "positive" digital footprint can be key to landing that job I've always wanted or just leaving a good impression for anyone out searching my name! So yes I do want a digital footprint, but I want it to be "positive" and I want it to work to my advantage.One might ask: what is a "positive" digital footprint? Well, every piece of information you have ever left on the internet has contributed to your digital footprint. An image of you posing as superman on Facebook, a tweet about how awesome Apple products or even this blog post will all contribute to your footprint. A positive footprint will share your good points, your creativity, talent, skills and personality. By sharing these points, you may create a professional image of yourself (if that's what your going for) that can show potential employers why you can fit in their organization. At the end of the day, a positive digital footprint will help you communicate indirectly with others about who you are in a positive light.
After obtaining an understanding of what a positive digital footprint is and what it can do for you, you are probably wondering how you can obtain and maintain a positive footprint. One example of how you can do this specifically addressing Twitter is discussed in the video to the right. The video taught me 2 important things:
1. Think before you share
2. Protect and maintain your privacy
And I think the suggestions made in this video really address the issues of maintaing a positive footprint. It helped me understand that in order to maintain a positive footprint, you have to take initiative to attempt to share with only people you want to share with and more importantly think of the consequences before sharing. By keeping in mind of these simple rules, you can protect your privacy and maintain the positive digital footprint that you would like your future employer to see!
It's finally time for me to obtain my digital citizenship by completing the Digital Driver's Licence Exam in a book called Digital Citizenship in School by Mike Ribble! I've always hated exams, but this was an exception as I scored a 18 out of 20, which is quite high by my standards for any exam! Regardless, I did not score perfect, meaning I still have much to learn about digital citizenship. The two questions I answered incorrectly were numbers 3 and 4, regarding electronic exchange of information. Perhaps I need to gain a better understanding of the appropriate digital channels of communication for different reasons. In Ribble's book, he highlighted nine important elements of digital citizenship, I won't list them here but you can find it in chapter 2 of his book. However, I do want to talk about one element that really stood out for me, which was Digital Commerce. I found the section regarding Digital Commerce fascinating as I am a regular consumer online with regular visits to online retailers such as eBay, Amazon and BR. I think it is important for me to become an informed and careful online consumer because being "an intelligent consumer is an important aspect of good citizenship" (Ribble, Mike. Digital citizenship in schools).
Well that's it folks! In this week's reflection, I discussed my thoughts towards digital footprints and how they can affect our everyday lives. I hope you enjoyed this post and as always, thanks for reading!
Billy
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