What is your first thought when you hear the fingerprint? Many things can come to mind, however, a digital footprint can be described as “one’s overall impact, impression, or effect as manifested on the Internet; online presence or visibility, such as of a person or business.” By definition this helps to understand that this is similar to a first impression as a result of a job interview. Knowing this also helps to understand how and why we should have a “good digital footprint”. Then the questions “What is a good fingerprint” and “How can this fingerprint be configured” arise. In the following discussion, we’ll explore these two questions and see if we can find action steps to complete the action.

“How can you set up a fingerprint?” In order to establish this online presence, one must first understand what the purposes of its existence are. If it’s about creating and reconnecting with old classmates, sites like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter are great sites that allow for lots of social connections. Personally, I was able to connect with family members that I had only met once at a funeral. The great part is, we’ve been keeping in touch since 2009. If your goals are to create networking opportunities for business and your career, then a different set of websites comes to mind. LinkedIn, Startup Nation, and Meet Up are a few sites that come to mind. Whether you’re looking to stay in touch with family, friends, classmates, or establish a presence that enables networking opportunities that lead to employment, starting a business, or other career strategies, creating a digital footprint is imperative. . Now just adding your name on these sites is not enough. In the second part of this discussion, we will discuss how to create a “good digital footprint”.

“Good Fingerprint”

There is more to creating a footprint than just creating a profile on one of the websites above. The following steps will give you ways to improve your digital footprint, whether your purpose is for social or business connections.

· Enhance your entire profile with a professional photo. This will allow employers and friends to recognize if you are the right person they are looking for. This also creates a great first impression than a photo of your dog.

· Keep private information private: Private information, such as social security numbers or all your personal information, are not necessary. It is strongly recommended to never share via social sites as it is also for the safety of your digital profile.

· Make sure you’re active: It’s important to check your sites often and stay active. This will help your profile views and the request you receive. It also helps your profile not be so spammed.

Clean and uncluttered sites will allow you to add images and sometimes videos. Inappropriate x-rated images and videos should not be on social sites. This includes photos of alcoholic beverages or anything that is offensive to others. A neat profile with correct spelling and grammar is also important. Showing these bad qualities in your fingerprint could lead to problems with the image you have created.

· Create a name for your profiles that shows you in a positive way. This is important when employers, colleges, and others search for you or find your profile. SillyBilly is not a good name when looking to become a potential employee.

Here are some steps to help create a “good digital footprint.” In the society you will be living in it is hard not to have a life online and following these steps will help create a good one. Please continue to prosper and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

References:

http://www.dictionary.com