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Week 3: Making your mark online

Introduction

Would you recognise the ‘online you’? This week is about who you are online and how you appear to the world.

During Week 2 you explored the range of skills that contribute to being effective in a digital world. You started to develop your own plan for the skills you want to work on. This week you’ll think about your ‘digital identity’ and your ‘digital footprint’. Digital identity is about the way you present yourself online. Digital footprint refers to the permanent collection of data about you that is available online.

You will also be introduced to some ways you can create a positive impact online to help you achieve your goals, whether they relate to work, study or other aspects of life. Throughout this week we refer to your ‘digital profile’. By this we mean how you appear to others online.

You’ll start the week by reflecting on your own ‘digital journey’: that is, where you are now and where you want to get to. As you go through the week the focus will move from your own personal digital identity to interacting with others and becoming a ‘digital citizen’.

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

  • describe the terms ‘digital identity’ and ‘digital footprint’
  • identify some steps to help you present yourself well online and improve your digital profile.

1 Digital me: starting your digital journey

Digital identity has become a very important part of 21st century life. It’s about how you present yourself online to ensure you make the impression you want. Even if you don’t feel you want to spend a lot of time online, it’s still useful to think about what others can see of you. Your digital identity is not something completely detached from the rest of life. It can be a way of expressing who you are in a meaningful and engaging way, to people and communities you want to connect with.

When considering your digital identity, keep in mind what motivates you to get online and be active there.

You will come back to the inspiration for your digital journey later in the course. For now, start by considering your digital footprint.

1.1 Checking out your digital footprint

You may have heard the phrase ‘digital footprint’ before. This is about the traces you leave online. It includes information about you and your online activity such as:

  • profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn
  • photographs that you or others have posted online
  • anything that has been written about you, for example, on discussion boards or Facebook.

Your digital footprint can be shaped by what others put online about you. This may not always be within your control. However, doing this course will show you how you can ensure that your digital footprint is what you would like it to be. The following activity will help you to find out what your digital footprint currently looks like.

Activity 1 Reviewing your digital footprint

Timing: 10 minutes

Take a moment to think about the places where you have been or are currently active online. Even if you are not very active online, it is still worth doing the activity to establish your starting point for developing your digital identity.

Put your name into a search engine and see what comes up. Any surprises?

Make a note in the box below of anything you want to change or improve.

Look at the discussion when you are ready.

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Discussion

When you googled your name, you may have found:

  • evidence of your activity on Facebook or other social media sites
  • older information that you had forgotten existed
  • material written about you by other people, or referring to events you have attended
  • photos that you weren’t aware of
  • instances of where you have accessed certain websites, for example, when commenting on what other people have written.

On the other hand, you may have found very little about yourself or, depending on how common your name is, you may have found mentions of other people who are not you. This is a good starting point from which to develop your digital profile. In the rest of this week you will have opportunities to think about what is important to you and how you want your digital footprint to reflect that.

1.2 First steps to a good digital footprint

If you are fairly new to life online, it is natural to feel cautious about what you disclose to others. On the other hand, you may be used to sharing quite freely without giving it much thought. By learning a bit more about how to manage your digital footprint, you will be better equipped to stay in control of the information about you that others can see online.

Being in control of your own information is becoming more and more important when applying for jobs. Many employers look at the digital profile of prospective employees and the recruitment process itself increasingly takes place online. In the UK one blog author suggests that 89% of recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn, and that 73% of 18 to 34-year-olds found their last job through a social network (Medved, 2014).

In real life, you probably behave differently with your friends and family than you do at work. Online it’s important to think about the image you are projecting to others and who might be reading what you put there. The following activity will help you to see the sort of information that can show up in someone’s digital footprint.

In the next section, you will think further about how you can learn online and interact with others while maintaining your privacy.

2 Openness versus privacy

It is possible to find all sorts of material freely available online. Using digital technology and media, you can learn what you want, when you want. The opportunities are immense, both to build up your own knowledge and to share what you’ve found with others.

Open collections bring together particular types of resources. For example, YouTube is a large collection of videos and Pixabay contains hundreds of thousands of photographs, uploaded by many different people. Anyone can view and add material and it is also possible to interact with other users of these resources.

Free educational resources are known as open educational resources or OERs. These are often provided by reputable institutions, like universities. Examples include OpenLearn and FutureLearn. Individuals are now able to license their own work easily and at no cost. You will learn more about this in Week 4 of this course. Online communities of learners may form around OERs or subjects of study. These provide valuable opportunities to learn together and benefit from peer support.

There is, however, a downside. One of the things you will be realising as you explore your digital footprint is that your actions online may be visible to others in ways that you did not realise. There is a tension between learning and sharing openly online and maintaining an acceptable degree of privacy. Part of the aim of this course is to develop your knowledge and skills to make the choices that are right for you, whilst gaining maximum benefit from online learning and communities. Activity 2 will help you to develop your digital identity and keep control of your digital footprint.

2.1 Shaping your digital identity

Once you understand how important your digital footprint is, you can start to think about how you might improve the way in which you come across online. Watch the video about improving your digital footprint.

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Here some tips about shaping your digital identity.

Top Ten Tips to Improve your Online Presence

  1. Delete or deactivate old unused accounts. Doing this will mean that you won't need to worry about them, they can't be scammed, and it will leave you time to concentrate on the accounts that are most useful to you. There are tools available online that can help you do this.
  2. Manage the access to the accounts you keep. Filter out people you don't really know or no longer keep in contact with. For example, Facebook tends to be more personal, so you may only want family and friends to have access to the information you put there.
  3. Delete photographs that don't show you in a good light.
  4. Delete posts that you're not proud of, or that no longer reflect your views. Social network sites will provide you with information on how to do this.
  5. Sites like LinkedIn are great for showcasing your skills and knowledge. If you use LinkedIn, you will want to connect with a professional network and be considered for jobs. You can adjust your settings to allow greater public access.
  6. Build up your profile to get noticed. Make sure to include your achievements, skills, qualifications, and knowledge.
  7. Consider your profile as your online CV. Employers or employment agencies frequently search LinkedIn for people with specific skills. Use words on your profile, that match the words employers might search to find people with your skills.
  8. Use Twitter to connect with others in your fields of interest. Twitter is a good place to find connections. Being active on Twitter will help people will notice you. Stick to professional content and think about what your tweets say about you in a professional sense.
  9. Start your own professional blog. Blogs are also a great way of showcasing your knowledge, or you could find expert blogs that will keep you up to date. Adding your own comments will enable you to be part of the wider discussion.
  10. Join discussion forums to meet professionals in your field. They are great places to learn from others and share good practice.

Activity 2 Shaping your digital identity

Timing: 20 minutes

Make some notes of the steps you might take to reduce any negative impact of your digital footprint and to create a positive digital identity, particularly for career purposes.

  • Note one or two things you want to achieve when you’re online, for example, keeping up with friends and family, developing your business, keeping up to date with your interest or study topic.
  • In your reflective journal, make a note of three things you can do to develop your footprint and shape your identity.

It is worth thinking about who is shaping your digital footprint and digital identity– is it you or your friends?

Discussion

You may have come up with some of the following:

  • build up a profile on LinkedIn
  • connect with others in your field of interest through Twitter
  • set up a blog
  • connect with others through open online study
  • check privacy settings on social media sites
  • delete old accounts and old social media posts / photographs that don’t show you in the best light
  • switch off location/GPS settings on your mobile phone
  • ask other people to remove (or not post) photos of you that you don’t wish to be shared
  • do not publish your personal and contact details on social media sites or blogs.

It’s possible you have thought of other things too. For example, remember that Google will remove your information if you request it under the ‘right to be forgotten’.

You will have the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice in the next activity. In the meantime, add anything you want to follow up to your reflective journal.

In the next section, you will explore what is meant by digital citizenship and how you can contribute positively online.

3 Digital citizens

Described image
Figure 1 Tweet from JISC

We live in a global society, where it is increasingly possible to connect across continents and cultures using technology. As well as being confident going online, it’s important to show awareness of the needs and feelings of others, and to be sensitive to cultural differences.

Citizenship in general refers to the way in which individuals contribute to society. The term ‘digital citizenship’ has now entered everyday language and is defined as:

‘A person who develops the skills and knowledge to effectively use the Internet and other digital technology, especially in order to participate responsibly in social and civic activities.’

(Dictionary.com, 2015)

Digital citizenship includes:

  • behaving appropriately and ethically in a digital environment
  • being aware of the impact of your actions on the digital communities you are part of
  • contributing to the community in a mature and responsible way.

It is part of the ‘understand and engage’ aspect of the Digital skills framework you were introduced to in Week 2.

As a good digital citizen, it is important to treat your digital footprint, and the digital footprints of others, with respect. Bear in mind that:

  • your potential audience may be far bigger than you think
  • once information about you or others is out there on the web it generally stays there.

Another essential aspect of digital citizenship is being able to communicate online. The notion of ‘netiquette’ refers to the guidelines for appropriate behaviour when communicating with others online in writing. The conventions are likely to vary, depending on the context in which your online communication is taking place. You may find it helpful to observe how others are interacting before you launch in. There are also some general principles to bear in mind:

  • Ensure that what you say is appropriate to the context, clear, relevant, and polite.
  • Present your opinions sensitively and acknowledge the other person’s point of view, even if this is different to your own.
  • Think about who you are communicating with and adopt the appropriate tone. For example, a friend, colleague or an official in an organisation.
  • Communicate your emotions – this can help other people understand your perspective. This is particularly important for written communication where others cannot see your face or body language to gauge your mood. Many online environments have smileys, emojis or emoticons you can use to show how you are feeling, which might be appropriate to use in informal communications.
  • Be aware of cultural differences, particularly when communicating with people from other countries. Check whether there is anything in your words, or the way you communicate, that could cause offence.
  • When you write in English remember not to write in capitals, as this comes across as shouting.

These principles essentially mean treating others as you would want them to treat you.

Activity 3 Communicating online

Timing: 10 minutes

a. 

Don’t fire off a hasty reply if someone sends you an email that upsets or annoys you.


b. 

Smile and make eye contact.


c. 

Keep your communications brief and to the point.


d. 

Don’t write in capital letters when writing in English.


e. 

Acknowledge what other people say in their messages or posts.


f. 

Keep in mind who you are communicating with.


g. 

Acknowledge others’ points of view when disagreeing with them.


h. 

Be aware of who may be reading what you write.


i. 

Use appropriate body language.


The correct answers are a, c, d, e, f, g and h.

Discussion

Some of the suggestions require participants in a conversation to be able to see each other, which of course isn’t possible with many forms of online communication. This is why it’s really important to be clear in what you say and to think about how the communication will be received. If you don’t know who will read it, imagine how someone relevant to the context would respond, for example, your boss, client or best friend. Edit it if you think that person would not understand your sentiment.

Digital citizenship is about using technology for positive benefit. Social networks and online communities can be powerful forces for good, for example, citizen science, crowdsourcing and online campaigns. These initiatives enable ordinary people to contribute to knowledge and public good, and to bring about change. If you are interested in learning more about these kind of online communities, you may like to explore some of the following resources:

  • Citizen science – Wikipedia entry for citizen science explaining how members of the general public actively contribute to scientific research, often using online networks.
  • Crowdsourcing – Wikipedia entry for crowdsourcing explaining how they can bring together information, tools and resources for harnessing the power of online communities to get solutions to all sorts of problems.
  • Causes – a site where you can find out about, support and organise campaigns on issues that are important to you.

Record anything you want to follow up in your reflective journal.

4 Reflection

Described image
Figure 2 Footprints in the sand

Remember that everyone’s digital journey is different. Just as your personal identity may change over time as you have different experiences and learn new things, the same is true of your digital identity. Learning new skills may encourage you to become active online in new ways, shape your digital identity and enable you to move forward in your digital journey.

Also, as you have seen, it’s not just about ‘digital me’, it’s about ‘digital us’. What we each do online has an impact on other people. Even if you found that your digital footprint has room for improvement, be reassured that, over time, you can take control of your life online and develop the digital profile you would like.

During the week you have been making notes in your reflective journal of how you want to develop your digital footprint and shape your digital identity. Now is a good time to review your plan and prioritise what you will do first. Putting these steps into practice will help to ensure that your digital journey is enjoyable and goes in the direction you would like.

Here are Kyaw Win’s reflections about this week.

“I like to share photos on Facebook and Instagram and to see photos of me with my friends there too. Sometimes they post a photo of me that I don’t like and mostly I don’t mind. But I’m really not happy with the photo of me from the Thingyan Water Festival. I look so wet and bedraggled. It would be better if that were private because I don’t want people to get the wrong impression of me.

I’m a bit embarrassed about some of my Facebook posts. I said things and I wasn’t really thinking about what I was doing. I don’t really want people to see them, because the way I think now is so different so I will take them down.

I managed to tighten up my settings on my Facebook account so now I know exactly who can see what I put up there. First, I un-friended all the people I don’t really know or keep in contact with. Then I deleted all those old posts and photos I don’t want people to see. I had to do that on Instagram as well. Then I made my Facebook private so only my friends and family can see what I write, unless I choose to let the public see it. I never knew you could do that. Makes me feel so much better. I feel like I’ve really achieved something.

Oh, and I’ve joined a Facebook group. They’re all cyclists and I’ve picked up some really good information. I think it’s great because they’ve been really helpful, offering me advice. In fact, I think I could even write my own cycling blog. That could be really exciting.

I didn’t know that my friend had written about me in his blog. I’m really flattered and I don’t mind because he didn’t use my name or write anything personal.

My friend introduced me to YouTube, and now I use it a lot to look things up quickly. I find it easier to watch how to do things than to read about it. Increasingly there are videos in Burmese which is great.

I’ve never really been sure about Twitter. Isn’t it just people posting photos of what they’re eating or saying nasty things about others?

I really don’t know what Flickr is. I think our photos should be private.”

5 This week’s quiz

Check what you’ve learned this week by taking the end-of-week quiz.

Week 3 quiz

Open the quiz in a new window or tab then come back here when you’ve finished.

6 Summary

This week you have looked at the area of digital identity and how to ensure your digital footprint reflects you in the best light. You have:

  • reviewed your own digital footprint
  • considered how you can keep control of your digital identity in a world of open online resources and sharing
  • thought about the elements of good communication online
  • identified some steps to help you present yourself well online and improve your digital profile.

You have learned:

  • what is meant by digital identity, digital footprint and digital citizenship
  • why digital identity and footprint is important, particularly for employment purposes
  • the benefits of digital citizenship.

In the next week you will look more closely at e-safety, security and other aspects of digital well-being. You will also learn how to stay within the law when using other people’s original work, and how you can protect your rights when sharing your own material online.

Now continue to Week 4.