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30 Easy Steps to Protect Your Privacy & Reputation Online
By Brenda Krueger Huffman,
Correspondent
(AXcess News) Chicago - In many ways we can be our own worst enemy in preserving our own privacy and reputation online. Have you defined what your private information is for yourself? In the Internet and social media era, do you think about preserving your privacy and reputation, and the possible impact on job hunting, before you post, tweet, or connect with a "friend"? Do you think about privacy when storing financial information on a shopping website, opting in or out of receiving additional marketing from company partners, or clicking the box that you have read a company's privacy policy to continue to use their site without reading it? Do you think through what you are sharing about yourself and with whom? Do you think about the possible consequences of not thinking about it before you post? Do you have a privacy policy and setting plan you thoughtfully execute for your employment potential and life in general? We all need to have a privacy and reputation plan for ourselves. Here are thirty easy steps to take:
Easy and Practical Steps to Protect Your Online Privacy and Reputation:
1. Define what you consider your private information taking into account the possibility for identity theft, home burglary, child safety, job hunting, and reputation in general.
2. Search your name on Google & Bing. Set up a monitoring service or reputation repair service if needed
3. Search your name on Google & Bing at least once every couple of weeks.
4. Look at your public profile for each social networking site like Facebook and MySpace.
5. Only confirm friends you really know on personal social networking sites. (Connecting with other professionals you do not know is fine on all-professional sites like LinkedIn. Do check out their profile to ensure a professional fit before connecting though.)
6. Check your Twitter followers to ensure they are not spammers or offering services that are unprofessional. Immediately delete these types of followers or block them.
7. Set privacy settings for your social network page to "Friends Only" on social networking sites. (Privacy settings set to "Everyone" is fine for all-professional sites, for it is advantageous to have a public profile professionally.)
8. Set privacy settings for your applications individually to "Friends Only" on social networking sites.
9. Be aware the groups you join on social networking sites will be open to the public on your public profile.
10. Set privacy settings for photos to be viewed by "Friends Only" on social networking sites.
11. Set privacy setting to not allow others to tag you in photos or videos on social networking sites.
12. Set up lists for friends only, family only, and professional only on social networking sites.
13. Block those you don't want to see you on social networking sites.
14. Monitor comments of others and immediately delete offensive ones on social networking sites.
15. Hide those that post offensive language or pictures to your wall - the first time.
16. Be aware of what this post "says about me" to others before you post it.
17. Would you want your mother to see it? Would you want an HR manager to see it? Would you want it on the front page of a news outlet? No, don't post it.
18. Don't post after a few drinks. Things aren't always as funny when you are sober.
19. Don't post when you are mad at someone or something. Would you still say it a day from now? Should you be saying it at all "publicly"?
20. Post your vacation comments after you return home. Don't post when you are leaving, that you are gone, or that teens are home alone.
21. Over 40 and looking for a job? Don't post birth year or graduation years.
22. Don't post full birth dates, birth place or give out your mother's maiden name.
23. Don't post your children's full names and birthdays. Children are a growing target for identity and credit theft.
24. Don't store credit cards with online shopping sites. Would you store a credit card number physically with a bricks & mortar store?
25. Don't post negative comments about your employer, boss, or other employees.
26. Don't post information about your company that is internal and confidential.
27. Don't agree to have companies share your information with their affiliates, associates, partners, etc.
28. Remember at all times what you post has the potential to be public.
29. Remember that at some point in your life you will be job hunting.
30. Know it is easier to prevent a privacy and reputation problem than to clean up one.
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