Have you ever Googled yourself? Found that some of the search results are not that flattering?
I typed in ‘”Merissa Lennon” Australia’ in Google and found that a post a friend once jokingly made on a university event page about how I was “sahhh excited to get drunk” was one of the first results shown.
This is a very common story in the digital age. People use social media as a new platform for self expression and identity. However, the online footprint that is left behind can ruin job prospects and cause bad reputations.
You cannot ignore a bad reputation. Joan Jett is, unfortunately, wrong.
According to PCWorld, 70 percent of companies have rejected candidates based on their online reputation, but only 7 percent of Americans believe it affects their job search.
There is ignorance, especially with young media users, as to what damage a bad online identity can do to employment opportunities and future endeavors.
The feature, ‘Traceable’, will explore issues of online management, reputation, defamation and privacy.
Think bad online management is a myth? Ordinary people constantly have their online reputation damaged and struggle to have material removed.
Professionals and experts will be interviewed in the upcoming feature to provide detailed information on how to manage online identity and also comment on the increased blurring of boundaries between the public and private domains.
Don’t know how to manage your online reputation? The How To section will instruct young people and also parents on how to improve their online image and to manage their public and business reputation!
Although some features include ‘How to’ sections they aren’t yet specified to young people. Our feature will go beyond tracking your online presence, addressing the issues and connecting and creating content.
Technology features, like those on The Daily Recruiter are a great starting point for this type of feature. However, ours will go beyond the simple style used on this website and use graphics, video and links to better educate our audience. The Daily Recruiter does not have the same target audience, but it is reaching for the same goal.
The design on Mashable.com, is a great example of how I envision our information to look. It will capture and retain the attention of users accustomed to receiving information in a fast, easy and dynamic way.
Our content will examine online reputation management in a unique way. It will be entertaining and focus on the student relationship with the internet. Readers will be made aware of the dangers regarding this issue and will greater understand the importance and visibility of online relationships.
Have something to say on this issue? An online forum will enable two-way communication with our readers and on social media sites, like Twitter (follow me @MerissaLennon).
We will also get the insider business opinion by talking to specialised online management service companies like Engage.
Most people don’t realise how difficult it is to remove online content.
I was lucky. My discretion was a Facebook post which could easily be deleted. It is extremely hard to remove content from search engines, like Google, without having to directly ask the company.
The internet is a social experience. Users create and redistribute information via extended social networks. However the footprint that is left behind can have a disastrous effect on employment opportunity and identity.
By simply Googling ourselves, we are able to understand more about our identity, yet can uncover some things we would rather have kept private.
A bad reputation can have serious effects. I’m sure Lindsay Lohan wouldn’t be too happy to Google herself and find this one...
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