I've waxed lyrical in this space a number of times about the importance of keeping your online reputation intact, or at the very least hidden. It's a pet peeve of mine - firstly that one has to, and secondly that people still fall foul of the various pitfalls out there.
Anyway, the powers that be have suggested I give a quick roundup of how best to go about protecting your online rep. It's fairly simple, so here goes:
1. Social is as social does
It's called a private life for a reason. You may be a very amicable person with a wide circle of friends, but at the end of the day, who else needs or wants to know? Settings on Twitter and Facebook (and the others I cannot be arsed to list) are easily changed and adapted. For Twitter the lines are blurred - do you need a public presence for your chosen career/ hobbies? If so, be careful what you post. The lines are once again blurred between wittily necessary insight and career-hampering nonsense.
2. Nom de Plume?
Supposing the above advice is too restrictive/ too late in arriving, there is another way. Many are now deflecting any awkward conversations or unheeded intrusions into their online presence by adopting an altered name solely for the interweb. Whether this involves initials, a nickname, alterations to your given name, whatever, it can be a clever approach in maintaining two worlds - private and public.
3. "No-one should read the bottom half of the internet"
Would that this were so, but it isn't. If people can do something, they will. The line here is therefore the old adage: think before you act. Don't join in that potentially controversial debate unless you have to; don't troll; avoid abusive remarks, EVEN in jest. It all sounds like common sense but you'd be amazed at how easy comments written online can be taken out of context. One minute you're joking about Grammar Nazis with friends, the next you're being flagged as a neo-fascist skinhead with a penchant for wanton violence and anti-Semitism.
4. Treat others as you wish to be treated
This last point pairs up nicely with #3. The closer you can behave to the 'professional' you when online, the less chance there is of being fired/ questioned/ rejected. Hard as it may be, approaching the web with a casual and affable reticence may just secure you some major brownie points with potential employers and recruiters. You have been (hopefully) warned.
