Discussion Post: Google Yourself - Online social identity and what it says about us
Activity:
1. Conduct an Internet search on your own name and email addresses. Be sure to include nicknames or other names that you have used in the past. You may want to include screen names or avatar names.
2. Also use keywords that pull for publicly available information such as tax records, bankruptcy, marital status, criminal background, and court proceedings. Try to find private information about yourself including phone numbers, records about children, and work history.
Reflection: Respond to the following questions in your response to this discussion topic. NOTE: You do not need to share any specific personal information about yourself. A general description of your experience is fine
1. What information did you find about yourself? Were you surprised by what you found? Did you find things about yourself that you would rather keep private? Are there any steps that you need to take to update or change your online identity? If so, what are they?
2. As suggested by Seidman (2020), the information that you found on the Web creates a perception of who you are. We can think of this as your "online social identity." What does your online identity say about you? What, if anything, do your screen names and email addresses say about you? What might a hiring manager, supervisor, friends, and loved ones think about the online image you have created?