The Effective Management of My Digital Footprint

The Effective Management of
My Digital Footprint
By: Nathan Treadway

My Digital Footprint
In a Nutshell
• It’s everything that can be found about me
on the Internet, like a digital record of what I
do online.
• I need to be very cautious about the content
I post and the sites I visit because this digital
record is permanent.
• Remember, anything that is posted online
can be traced back to the given individual.

Developing a positive professional
online presence
Strong focus on these 4 critical areas
when creating online content:
1. Giving Proper Credit
2. Conducting Research Before Posting
3. Being Different
4. Using Valid Sources

online presence
Giving Proper Credit
• Not every blog, tweet, post that I publish are
my original ideas, and that’s okay!
• The key is to give credit where credit is due.
• Properly referencing the original author(s)
can speak volumes about my character and
ethics.

online presence
Conducting Research
• The WRONG mindset: when a new idea
comes to me, I should rush to get that idea
out there for the world to see and admire.
The sooner the better!
• The CORRECT mindset: I must first do the
necessary research to ensure that my idea is
in fact original.
• The power of search engines like Google
make it very easy to find out where original
ideas come from.

online presence
Be Different
• I need to do more than just share or re-tweet
the content and ideas of others.
• It’s okay to be different and make statements
that sometimes go against the grain.
• Be authentic and stick to my values.

online presence
Use Valid Sources
• Do my homework when referencing the work
of others.
• Make the effort to ensure the information I
am sharing is true, otherwise I am just
perpetuating inaccurate data.
• In a recent study (2019), “49 percent of
surveyed adults had shared news which they
later found out to be false”(Watson).

The 10 Strategies for Preserving a
Positive Online Presence
Strategy #1
• Join only the highest rated social
networks…..carefully evaluate the rest.
• Think about my audience. Where are they
the most active?
• Join “The Big Three”
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. LinkedIn

Strategy #2
• Use a professional headshot in my profiles
• Hire a photographer, if necessary
• Use a photo with the highest possible
resolution
• Add a tagline and brief introduction

Strategy #3
• Keep my ideas focused, clear, and simple
• Create a blueprint for posting content and
use it for everything
• Use a custom font in an eye-catching color,
remember, it’s okay to be different

Strategy #4
Use a common username for all platforms:
1. linkedin.com/in/nathan-treadway
2. twitter.com/NathanTreadway3
3. www.facebook.com/nathan.treadway

Strategy #5
Use the THINK method before posting content:
T – is it true
H – is it helpful
I – is it interesting
N – is it necessary
K – is it kind

Strategy #6
• Keep my online profiles up-to-date
• Schedule reminders every month or two to
make updates to my online profiles
• Prevents outdated information from being
circulated

Strategy #7
• Proofread everything I post online, at least
twice!
• Grammar and spelling errors will lead the
audience to believe that I am careless and
inattentive to detail.
• Use online resources like Grammarly and
TurnItIn to double-check my work.

Strategy #8
• Actively participant on online forums
associated with my audience
• Share best practices and my personal
experiences
• Always keep the messages positive and well
articulated

Strategy #9
• Diversify by using different forms of content
• Create video content and upload to YouTube
or Vimeo
• Host a podcast
• Create an infographic

Strategy #10
• Publish great content
• Consistently update my social platforms with
quality content
• If the content is not valuable or engaging,
don’t publish it!
• Quality over quantity!

References
5 Free Ways to Protect Your Online Reputation. (2019). Retrieved from https://contentsparks.com/50926/protect-online-
reputation/
5 Steps to Creating a Positive Online Presence: Intern Queen Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.internqueen.com/5-steps-
creating-positive-online-presence
Khairallah, D. (2015). Intellectual Property Hullabaloo: The Ethical Quagmire Of Online Content Creation & Your Brand. Retrieved
from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247898
King, E. L. (2017). 8 Effective Ways To Build A Solid Online Presence: WEB 101. Retrieved from
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-effective-ways-to-build_b_12628540
Rampton, J. (2016). 4 Ways to Grow Your Online Presence and Find More Customers. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2016/02/04/4-ways-to-grow-your-online-presence-and-find-more-
customers/#3b0596a83a92
Shahdeo, V. (2016). Digital Footprint: Brand Yourself. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/VinitShahdeo/digital-footprint-
brand-yourself-64843281?qid=36d9b0c8-7c48-4f46-876e-a21da9e709e4&v=&b=&from_search=11
Watson, A. (2019). Online sharing of fake news U.S. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/657111/fake-news-
sharing-online/
Which Social Media Accounts Really Matter and Why. (2020, January 24). Retrieved from https://neilpatel.com/blog/which-
social-accounts-matter/

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