Digital Footprint Plan

1. Google yourself

• If you have a common name, use different variations of your name.
• You need to find out what information about you is out on the web and what pops up on Facebook that you didn’t know was public.
• Google yourself often, because information is always being shared and updated (Anderson, S.).

2. Establish a brand

• Figure out what name you want to use across all of your online profiles.
• Set yourself apart from the rest by adding a middle initial or using your middle name.
• Try to stick with your actual name or a slight variation (Anderson, S.).

3. Choose a professional screen name and image

• “A screen name can make or break your professional image.”
• Choose an image and screen name that are profession and neat.
• Others should be able to take you seriously by your screen name and image.
• They should represent you and your career path (Alstad, 2014, para. 8).

4. Buy your domain name

• Buy a domain name from a site like GoDaddy.
• Put a lot of effort into creating as much content as you can to live on your site.
• You can make it so that when the user clicks on your domain name, it takes them to your WordPress, Tumblr, etc. site (Adams, 2013, para. 7).

5. Tweet professionally

• Keep a separate accounts for your personal and professional updates.
• If you have something negative to say about work, keep it to yourself.
• Share information that is useful to your readers and not just silly posts about how great you are (Ciske, M., & Lontos, P., para. 8).

6. Get into a routine

• It doesn’t have to be how many times you post a week, it can be the process that you take to do it.
• Doug Ward collects his ideas in Word and Evernote, uses SnagIt to collect web pages, writes early in the morning, and lets his posts sit a while if he has time.
• Develop a personal routine to keep you consistent and committed (Funk, 2012).

7. Keep private things private, while assuming nothing is truly private

• You can put privacy settings on content that you want to share with personal groups, but remember privacy rules are always changing.
• If someone posts a picture of you that you don’t want, remove the tag from the photo and ask them to take the photo down (Adams, 2013, para. 11).

8. Offer information that you would want to receive as a reader/parent

• Make sure that the information you provide is complete and only includes what you would want to read yourself.
• Make sure that the links that you provide work and are up-to-date.
• Keep a few social-media profiles complete, instead of having a bunch of incomplete profiles (Ciske, M., & Lontos, P., para. 13).

9. Communicate with your followers and those you follow

• Creating your online presence does you no good if you don’t communicate.
• When you don’t communicate with the people who follow you, they will forget you and move on to those who are responsive and value them (Couch, 2013).

10. Be cautious about which work samples to post

• You need to provide a variety of work samples, but you need to choose the right ones.
• You need to make sure you have parent permission before posting student projects.
• Don’t post every lesson plan you’ve ever created. Your work sample should be an overview of your talents (Alstad, 2014, para. 10).

References

• Adams, S. (2013, March 14). 6 steps to managing your online reputation. In Forbes. Retrieved June 15, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/14/6-steps-to-managing-your-...

References

• Alstad, C. (2014, April 7). A reputable internet presence is critical if you are job searching. In A+ teachers' career edge. Retrieved June 15, 2016, from http://resumesforteachers.com/blog/teaching-job-search-tips/a-reputable-int... presence-is-critical-if-you-are-job-searching/

References

• Anderson, S. (n,d). Teachers, take care of your digital footprint [Web20Classroom Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/teachers-digital-identity

References

• Ciske, M., & Lontos, P. (n.d.). 8 steps to a professional online presence. In Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Retrieved from http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/8-steps-professional-online-presence

References

• Couch, A. (2013, January 3). Creating a professional online presence is crucial for today’s job market: here’s how [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/creating-a-professional-online-presence-is-cru... todays-job-market-heres-how/

References

• Funk, J. (2012, November 12). Why and how educators should build an online presence [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://edcetera.rafter.com/why-and-how-educators-should-build-an-online-pre...