Though it has been a while since I used my site this way, it was made to be a digital resume showcasing some of my work. After about a year and many blog posts later, my site more or less switched purposes from a resume to just a blog that I post to semi-regularly. Looking back, my site is a victim to lack of maintenance as I hardly touch it anymore unless I am making a post. In the future, I will have to start using this site more as my resume as well as a blog site so viewers will be able to see what I have recently done as well as my thoughts and opinions on varying subjects. Of course, I will have to make various changes to how the site looks, throw in some pictures (of myself and my work), embed some videos or anything else I have been working on, etc. I’ll need to take care of this site like I take care of my regular resume, with more attention and updating with everything I am doing/have done.
Digital Resume
I have added a section to my site to display my resume for the time being; At a later point, I may make an entirely new site under my domain name for the purpose of highlighting my resume and linking to other sites and projects I have done.
Digital Identity: 5 Lessons
I’m not as active as I once was on social media, but I do understand the opportunities it can provide if executed properly. Here are some of the pages I viewed: Footprints In The Digital Age, Personal Branding In the Age Of Google & McClurken.
1. Find users/bloggers that post meaningful content that you are interested in or can relate to. Follow them and respond to their posts. That person will more than likely follow you back.
2. Be cautious of the content you post online. It might cost you your job, future employment, or an arrest. All it takes is a Google search.
3. Educate the younger generation on how to use social media and other online platforms properly.
4. Network with like-minded individuals who share the same passion as you. Hashtag technology brings people together. Always use hashtags in your posts.
5. Aside from blogs and social media, it is crucial to have an online portfolio/resume site for professional opportunities that displays your work and accomplishments.
Digital Identity and Resume
With the exponential growth in technology over the recent decades it is clear to see, the world around us has changed greatly. From the beginning of the internet, to the flourishing social connectivity it has become and provides. The benefits with the growing fields in technology seem to have an endless cumulative significance to many aspects of everyday life, from friends to work and studies creating a Digital Identity.
As an individual living in this technologically inclined society we need to ask: How does this all affect me, and what is my digital identity? To answer these questions I have to take into account all aspects of my limited tech-savvy life style. The most popular place to look into for an individual’s Digital Identity would first be Facebook. When looking at my digital social media history Facebook, Instagram, and videos, I have no harmful posts, or pictures that would hinder any sort of resume or background search. In the past I have not written posts about anything derogatory or anything towards an individual or group calling them out. I have made very few posts, mostly pictures of family or church gatherings on facebook, and what I think to be artistic nature posts on Instagram.
When looking at all other aspects of my social identity, or parts that are not controlled by myself, maybe a few newspaper articles in some town archives where I grew up showing patriotism or honoring a trip to a national choir competition. Also there would probably be some articles on my Year of full time volunteer service through City Year and how I was the Keynote speaker, and some school archives probably have my name in some graduation database. I know that I personally need to start building and working on my professional Digital Identity to round my online image.
In the next week or so I will be working on my digital Resume, working and thinking about what and what not to include. Also, this will have me thinking of who or why I am making the resume for. Updates to come.
5 Lessons about Digital Identity
I’m not one for posting Buzzfeed-esque posts so I’ll just get to it. These are five things I learned/found important when looking at sites detailing one’s digital identity.
1) If I want people to consistently know what you’ve done, I should maintain my site. I need to make sure the site or any parts of it have not expired in order to not give any errors when checking the site and I need to keep posting to it to maintain a professional appearance.
2) Everything on the internet lasts forever. If someone posts anything with my name on it, it will come up in a Google search, I will have to make sure these posts are generally good or the consequences will be bad.
3) With a bit of help, some blogs can quickly become famous around the world. At this point, writers can ask their audiences for suggestions on what they should work on.4) Keep the front page simple. Most people are impatient and do not like reading, if there is something I want the readers to know, make it clear in the beginning.
5) Organize the site. If there are multiple talents I want people to know about, I will have to separate them on the site so viewers can find what they are looking for easily.
Digital Identity
After looking at http://mcclurken.org/, http://hirehassan.com/, and http://jessicareingold.com/ (http://caitlinpringlemurphy.com/ was not working), as well as Footprints in the Digital Age (Will Richardson), Personal branding in the age of Google (Seth Godin), and Digital Tattoo, five lessons relating to digital identity emerged:
1. Having a digital identity is almost a necessity. With so much networking (both for recreation and job searching) going on, it can put you at a disadvantage if you do not have a sufficient online presence. Disadvantages can include a wide range of things, such as not being up-to-date with news stories or with friends, but also not being found if a potential employer is searching for people like you online.
2. Your digital identity should have an air of professionalism. On any website or social media account, the inclusion of professional achievements and affiliations looks impressive and adds credibility to you. This credibility is further enhanced by the elimination of personal details. How you present yourself online should be welcoming, but not to the point that you share information that is irrelevant.
3. The way you present yourself online should be organized and clear, as visitors to your website as well as social media and networking accounts are likely to associate this with strong communication skills, which are much sought after by employers. Showing that you have a purpose for being online (perhaps networking to find a job) and organizing yourself to achieve that objective also shows professionalism (as mentioned in lesson #1) and will work in your favor.
4. Creating a digital identity is something that should be taught to all. As the new literacy of networking becomes more prevalent, it becomes increasingly important to educate online users about the advantages and disadvantages their digital identity can create for them. There is a fine balance between using the digital world to network and in using it for recreation. This becomes especially important when it comes time to find a job. If a potential employer sees you doing something idiotic online this could hurt you tremendously.
5. Although the formation of a digital identity should be taught and guided, it is the responsibility of each individual person to determine how he or she will present himself or herself online and that person ultimately will have to answer for a poorly presented image. This tremendous responsibility that accompanies the formation of a digital identity gives more significance to education about this topic.
YOU WON’T BELIEVE THESE 5 SECRETS ABOUT DIGITAL IDENTITY!
You know we live in a different world when “living off the grid” is a title reserved for people on National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers. Whether we like it or not, the ratio between public and private life is favoring the public realm and as a result, our lives, more often than not, are presented for the world to see. A simple Google search of my name (something we all have done dating back to those special days in elementary school when we had a class activity that involved the use of laptops) returned things that I had completely forgotten about. Those team pictures from the year I made my Little League All Star Team? Yeah, those are up there. A picture of me walking across the stage at my high school graduation? Also up there. But recently, especially after reading several of these articles, I have realized not only the importance of having a digital identity but also of the responsibility attached to it. Without further ado, I present to you the five secrets I learned about digital identity.
- Provide a cumulative section in which all the things you have worked on are presented with a brief description and a link to the website or video.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. By providing a section in your website or blog that encompasses all of the work that you have played a role in creating, people who search for your digital identity are able to gain insight into the fields and sub-fields that you have spent time learning and contributing about.
2. You must be willing to share yourself with the public in order to reap the benefits of having a digital identity.
This may seem obvious but I think it is one of the most important tips that I learned through this exercise. Creating and maintaining a digital identity is one of those “you get out what you put in” kind of deals. Now, I understand that some people may not feel comfortable exposing themselves to the public eye; I get that. However, I also think that in this day and age, in order to be “successful” (however you might quantify that) you must in some manner, share yourself with the public.
3. Have links to websites or blogs that have a similar theme and explore similar topics as the one you are interested in and presenting to the public.
Creating a web of websites hosted by like minded individuals who are exploring a similar topic allows for both the user and the reader to expand their network and knowledge for a topic.
4. Don’t necessarily be scared of using and exploring the benefits of social media. Utilizing social media as a platform through which you can network and connect with like-minded individuals with similar interests and passions is important and extremely helpful.
This kind of ties back to my second point. Don’t be scared about putting yourself out there in the digital world. With all the fear mongering around the NSA and hackers and all that stuff that could be central to a plot to a 1980s action movie, it is understandable that people might have some hesitation about creating a digital identity. To me however, the pros of creating something in which people can look to as a comprehensive summary of who I am far outweigh the cons.
5. Find blogs and forums that are related to things you are passionate and PARTICIPATE in those discussions.
For all you lurkers on Reddit, this one is for you. Think of forums or blogs as a book club but instead of meeting in a living room with refreshments and finger foods, you sit in the comfort of you room at your computer with a club consisting of thousands upon thousands of people, each with their own experiences and ideas about the world. Actively participating with others regarding a topic that you all share together can be an extremely rewarding thing; one in which you are able to not only express your thoughts and beliefs but also where you can gain new insights and points of view.
Five Lessons Learned About Digital Identity
After reading and exploring Jess Reingold’s web site: http://jessicareingold.com/, Footprints in the Digital Age by Will Richardson, and Who Owns the Digital You? (Three Parts), I learned these lessons about digital identity:
- There is the “real-you” and the “digital-you” but they are interconnected.
- Your digital self can be larger than your real self because of the amounts of bytes.
- Oversharing or creating too much of a digital presence could jeopardize your privacy.
- Your digital identity is a way for you to express yourself while communicating and collaborating with the outside world. You can create an online resume or portfolio that shows your interest and experience and you can talk to friends, family and even strangers.
- It is up to the individual what and how much of a digital identity a person wants to have depending on how much they want to share and communicate.
Digital Footprints
The three websites I looked at were the Footprints in the Digital Age article for Educational Leadership, the Personal branding in the age of Google blog, and the personal site of Jessica Reingold. One of the first things that struck me about the latter site was the relative simplicity of it; it was primarily just a method of presenting her resume and portfolio. Because of the visually interesting way in which her website allows her to do it however, it is very distinctive and memorable. So, my first takeaway from her website would be that the digital world allows excellent presentation of very basic and rote information.
From the Footprints in the Digital Age article, I had two main takeaways. The first, not surprisingly given the article’s focus, was about how much the actions of kids on the Internet could later affect their digital footprint. I mostly just read the Internet when I was younger, and never really posted anything associated with my real name before college, so this doesn’t really apply to me too much directly; but with the ever-increasing amount of kids who are present on the Internet from a young age and using it for any variety of purposes, a considerable part of any individual’s digital footprint may have been made well before adulthood. This could certainly be problematic for anyone later on in life, depending on how they wish to present themselves on the Internet.
The second takeaway from that article for me, also not surprisingly, was about networking. Leaving a digital footprint from a very early point in your life has some potential pitfalls, but on the other hand, when well managed and guided, children can also find communities and other individuals who share their interests and hobbies and potentially aid them, both casually and even in a more professional capacity later on.
From Seth’s blog, I took away two rather simple lessons. The first being that simply put, Google can be a permanent record, and anything you do or say can end up there, including personal habits that may not look attractive to a potential employer. The second, more specific thing worth keeping in mind is that you should be careful what you say online about your ambitions as to your career, since a potential employer could easily see a disconnect or a lack of commitment between what you say and your application to that particular job.
Five Lessons About Digital Identity
After looking at a number student’s Domain of One’s Own websites, Dr. McClurken’s website, and several of the articles, I was drawn to several themes or concepts:
- It is important to list your educational and professional experiences on your website, as well as samples of your work to favorably portray yourself to potential employers. While LinkedIn can help build your identity as a professional, using your own website can give you greater control over the presentation of information about yourself, your contributions, and your collaborations.
- Be thoughtful about what information you share on the internet. Even if you carefully construct a professional identity, your reputation can still be compromised by information you post on social media.
- Building on the observation above, information posted on the internet is difficult to remove. Begin to build your digital identity from a young age.
- If you don’t work to create a digital identity for yourself, Google will for you. People who are interested in learning more about you will search your name and form opinions about you from the search results. You can shape their opinions of you by creating your own website where you have more control over how you present yourself.
- Your digital identity will help you connect with others with shared interests. However, you should also try to engage with a broader audience to attract people with different perspectives who can challenge your thinking. I believe that criticism is a powerful tool for refining arguments or developing a well-thought opinion.
