My Plan for a Positive Online PresenceBY DAVID YARGOEDTECH543BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY FALL 2016

The goal: Develop a positive online presence (Digital Footprint)

“On the Internet a digital footprint is the word used to describe the trail, traces or "footprints" that people leave online. This is information transmitted online, such as forum registration, e-mails and attachments, uploading videos or digital images and any other form of transmission of information — all of which leaves traces of personal information about yourself available to others online.”

Beal, B. V. (n.d.). Digital footprint. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/digital_footprint.html

Step 1: Complete All Profiles

My first step towards creating a positive digital footprint is to complete all of my social media profiles. For example, I joined LinkedIn, but have not done a single thing to my profile. This is my main priority.

According to Lowenthal and Dunlap, “When appropriate, complete the profile and include such things as keywords to your research, specifics on your research, and — at minimum — a link to your professional website. You might also link to specific publications or presentations you consider relevant.”

Lowenthal, P., & Dunlap, J. (2012, June 5). Intentional Web Presence: 10 SEO Strategies Every Academic Needs to Know. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/6/intentional-web-presence-10-seo-strategies-every-academic-needs-to-know

Step 2: Maintain a Blog

In addition to updating all of my profiles, I intend to better manage my blog. I have a two of them, both created for the EDTECH program at Boise State, but they are not updated and I am not using them to their fullest capabilities. I plan to add up-to-date photos, add tags to all posts and make sure all posts are public.

Again at the suggestion of Lowenthal and Dunlap, “Whether you update it daily, weekly, or just monthly, a blog can provide an easy place to share with others (and especially Google and other search engines) what you have been up to.”

Lowenthal, P., & Dunlap, J. (2012, June 5). Intentional Web Presence: 10 SEO Strategies Every Academic Needs to Know. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/6/intentional-web-presence-10-seo-strategies-every-academic-needs-to-know

Step 3: Create an “About Me” Page

Creating an “About Me” page at aboutme.com. This is personal homepage where I can link all of my social media accounts, share a short bio about myself, and include a picture too. This is something that I could share with others and they can access links to all of my accounts, pages and blogs in one place.

Step 4: Monitor My Digital Footprint

Once I establish my online presence, it is important to monitor it. More specifically, it is important to be aware of what others are saying about me.

Jack Wallen recommends 5 online tools to monitor your online reputation:1. Google’s Me2. Reputation.com3. Naymz4. Who’s Talkin5. Yasni

Wallen, J. (2012, June 11). Five tools to monitor and manage your online reputation - TechRepublic. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-tools-to-monitor-and-manage-your-online-reputation/

Step 5: Actively contribute to common business, educational and personal profile sites.

It is important to contribute. Just the act of registering on these sites sets a positive reputation. Occasional engagement and visibility in forum discussions and industry activities establishes positive content.

Zwilling, M. (2015, August 7). 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and Reputation. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249053

Step 6: Keep Private Things Private, While Assuming Nothing is Truly Private.

It is important to keep private things private. It is also important to understand that in spite of privacy preferences, that not everything is truly private. Deleting improper photos and posts does not mean they are gone forever.

Adams, S. (n.d.). 6 Steps to Managing Your Online Presence. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/14/6-steps-to-managing-your-online-reputation/#3fca7befc1ac

Step 7: Live the Reputation that I Want People to See Online.

It is hard today to be one person in “real life” and then project something different online. Not many moments, events and photos occur that do not eventually end up on the internet. It is important to maintain a positive presence in your day to day life as well as your digital presence.

Zwilling, M. (2015, August 7). 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and Reputation. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249053

Step 8: Respect Other People’s Bandwidth

I plan to only post pertinent information on my pages and the pages of others. In addition, it is important not to share large files, long videos or audio sessions or attachments that can take up too much of people’s time or too much of their electronic storage space.

Ross states, “When you send email or post to a discussion group, you're taking up other people's time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.”

Ross, S. T. (2011). THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

Step 9: Develop content

In addition to creating and maintaining a blog, I intend to create my own content to be posted on the blogs.

This will display my own communication skills and personal knowledge within the field of educational technology.

Step 10: “Remember the Human”

I will use my network connections to express myself, explore new worlds, and collaborate with other professionals. In doing so, I will remember the Prime Directive of Netiquette: Those are real people out there.

Ross, S. T. (2011). THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

References Adams, S. (n.d.). 6 Steps to Managing Your Online Presence. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/14/6-steps-to-managing-your-online-reputation/#3fca7befc1ac

Beal, B. V. (n.d.). Digital footprint. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/digital_footprint.html

Edmiston, D. (2012, January 10). Five Simple Steps for "Developing POP!" – A Professional Online Presence. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter/career_resources/issues_and_trends/CareerArticleEmployment120807

Lowenthal, P., & Dunlap, J. (2012, June 5). Intentional Web Presence: 10 SEO Strategies Every Academic Needs to Know. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/6/intentional-web-presence-10-seo-strategies-every-academic-needs-to-know

Ross, S. T. (2011). THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

Taub, A. (2012, June 7). 5 Key Things Needed To Improve Your Digital Identity. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alextaub/2012/06/07/5-key-things-needed-to-improve-your-digital-identity/#3ae2f9ac14ef

Wallen, J. (2012, June 11). Five tools to monitor and manage your online reputation - TechRepublic. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-tools-to-monitor-and-manage-your-online-reputation/

Zwilling, M. (2015, August 7). 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and Reputation. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249053