An acquaintance passed comment to us recently that 'blogging is the mothership'. This is indeed, an interesting way of putting it. In our own practice, often we use twits to connect others to a larger blog post (cos let's face it, 140 characters does not provide much of a summary!). In this respect, we can think that Twitter is to blogging what a headline is to a newspaper article or what a title is to an essay. The twit, as it were, acts as an attention getter, an opening statement, an entree to another conversation.

But twitting is also an indicator of passionate users, an indicator of how connected and committed they are to different topics, communities, groups and others. Yann was at a marketing dinner lately and people were making comments about twitter like "I signed up for twitter and nothing happened. Then in the space of 3-4 hours, multiple people were following me arrgghhhhh!!" But this is the beauty of Twitter. In the real world, we exchange business cards to start a business relationship. Twitter does the same by following people. Someone follows you, you follow them back. It's built on reciprocity. There's nothing creepy about it. Ok, well maybe something a little creepy... Or should we say creeping.....it's about rankings, people...

For example, Yann (not that he can vote) recently started following Barack Obama (just for kicks) and he followed right back! Barack Obama has 92,000 people following him and he follows 96,000 people. You just can't do that with a blog where it is less fluid. Now, here is the gravy, on the first page of google organic when you search for Barack Obama, the 6th ranked URL link is Twitter, above CNN and everything else. The first and second are his own sites, the 3rd is Wikipedia, the 4th is ggoogle news, 5th is his .gov official senator site and then Reuters and then Twitter.  Get it?! Twits matter in the eyes of Google! The social media sphere is increasingly more important than traditional media. Note to self. Our friend Steve Outing recently had a quick post on the same subject.  So perhaps those analogies between twits, blogs, headlines and newspapers are not doing us justice after all.....

Finally, information is coming of age - Twitter, micro-blogging, blogging, and social media is giving

total power to the reader. I read your twit, therefore I [& you] exist. Brand managers, this should matter to you. If not, your competition will reach out to your customer and their digital footprint will be larger and faster than yours. You have a chance to own the distribution of the message, if you take it.

Next up....coming to a blog (and several twits too) near you - digital footprints (or is that feetprint) and the social graph (the mighty XFN)......

Thanks henribonell for the cool pic!

Kirsti

I selected a posting from the PRos in Training blog called, “Your Search Engine Results are as Important as Your Resume.” Most public relations professors, like many of the people in this class, focus on honing their skills while gaining experience. But it’s also important to develop a positive professional image and this includes online reputations. As many students and other up-and-coming pr practitioners are being urged to join the social media bandwagon, it’s essential that they understand and utilize the latest online trends such as social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. In a digital age, public relations must, too become digital. And this begins with immersion in cyberspace. Being internet savvy certainly gives people an advantage as they pursue PR positions and advancements. Clients and other stakeholders want people working for them that understand all things digital.

With this in mind, I think this particular blog is interesting because it discusses professionalism amidst the internet. As college students, it’s likely that everyone in this class at one point or another has posted information about themselves such as photos, videos, blogs, bulletins, and the like on a social networking Web site. With background research only a mouse click away, more and more employers are now Googling job candidates’, searching for any discrepancies. In fact, many job hopefuls have been turned down based on embarrassing or racy search results. It’s important that JMC 417 students are mindful of this trend. I have both a Myspace and a Facebook, and I’m always careful to privatize my information and monitor what other people post. Although privacy settings and a sense of responsibility usually keep online content appropriate, I don’t believe many college students are as careful as they should be. As we begin joining the workforce it’s essential that we become aware of our “digital footprint”. In this blog you’ll find some helpful tips on how to protect your online reputation.

Chansen att lära känna helt nya människor, från helt andra geografiska platser minskar. Marshall McLuhan menade att media, och teknikens utveckling, skulle skapa en "global by". En by där man kan känna sig mer nära FNs generalsekreterare Ban Ki-Moon än ens närmsta granne. Andra tankar kring detta är om att varje människa känner varandra i sex steg från varandra (se här).

Men om man avfärdar Facebook helt som en offline-replika så är man inne på fel spår. Facebook möjliggör kollektiva handlingar mellan personer som aldrig behöver ha träffat varandra tidigare. Detta kan ske genom spontana arrangemang, som att samla personer för en demonstration mot djurhållningen i Sverige. Än så länge är det många triviala uppslutningar som inträffar, som att samla personer till en knattematch i fotboll (läs tidigare inlägg). Det finns dock en oerhörd makt i detta, det är lätt att kalla det för demokrati, men det är en instabilitet som skapas. Människor kan agera utan förnuft och skapa oåterkalleliga situationer.

Detta kan relateras att människor "skammar" varandra på internet, filmklipp och berättelser om pinsamma händelser kan spridas och fastna på internet. Många saker fastnar på internet, det skapas digitala fotavtryck. Vem är du? Är en fråga som med rätta ställs av människor, men alltför ofta så kommer svaret från en sökning på Google.

A recent study conducted by IDC and sponsored by the information management giant EMC, has provided a look in to the growth of our digital information, as well as a mind bending prediction for the future.

Using a complex mathematical formula, the study was able to estimate the size of the “digital universe.” In other words, they were able to tally up the total volume of digital information that is both created and replicated globally.

In terms of numbers, the figures are staggering. The size of the digital universe for 2007 reached 281 billion gigabytes, or, 281 exabytes. This works out to be about 45GB of digital information per person on the planet. And, considering the lack of information for some of the third world countries, one can only imagine how much those of us reading this article will have under their belts.

IDC and pundits have all agreed that digital content has been long in its growth. Ever since the internet became commonplace for the planet, our digital footprint has grown. From bank statements, charitable giving’s, digital photos and downloadable content, each of us racks up a handy sum.

Visual content, such as photographs and video, accounts for the largest portion of our ever expanding digital universe. According to the IDC, there are over a billion digital cameras and camera phones in the world taking photos. Only ten percent of photos taken are actually taken on film.

But the mind blowing portion of this research is … well, its mind blowing! For the first time ever, according to the report, the total volume of digital content actually exceeds the total storage capacity available. In fact, IDC went on to predict that by 2011 only half of the digital universe would actually be in storage.

How is this possible?

Because much of the data that exists in the world is not standing still; it is in fact in transit. So while our digital footprint might be continually growing, it is also being transmitted every which way. Photos get uploaded to Flickr, videos are streamed, and evidence of financial transactions is flying across the internet every day.

Furthermore, the amount of information about us that is generated automatically on a pretty much daily basis outweighs the total volume of information that we create about ourselves. Naturally this has large security implications that the IT sector will have to address more and more as time passes.

Posted by Josh Hill at dailygalaxy.com

Calculate your own digital footprint with these Mac OSX and Windows applications.

The piece focused on what online organisations such as Facebook are doing with people's profiles when or if they die. I'll leave you to read the article yourself but I think this can only become a bigger issue in the coming years.

I mean if you passed away tomorrow I doubt the first or even last thing your family would think to do is remove your social networking profiles - not to mention the fact that they can't even log-in to your account anyway. This may be a good thing initially, as your friends could post messages of condolence, but what about those friends who don't realise? 

Do you continue to exist forever?

How online organisations, and in fact, families deal with erasing the digital footprint of an individual in future is a very interesting topic. One which will only affect us more and more as our online lives become more complex.

As a council we are piloting an approach with young people where we engage and consult with them formally using social networking sites. This is also linked to an internal review of our Internet usage policies in the context of social networking and other communications based websites. I am pleased to say that our view internally is not to ban but to provide effective and robust policies to protect staff. it will also be supported by an ongoing communications plan about understanding your digital footprint.

But the digital footprint in these arena's is very different to what my "web publishers" are used to and these are people who "understand" the web!!

But why would people care about this?

If like me you google yourself and i have done this a few times, to check that i can find the blog and other references to my namesakes, you might be happy that you can be found. After all it is a big world and if google can find me then i must be doing something. If i have no results will i "feel" disheartened or pleased that what i have done has gone un-noticed...

But what happens when someone says something they regret online, how do you retract that information, once it is "out there" in the cloud?

Will understanding the digital footprint help and protect people or will it stifle their freedom of speech for fear of repercussions?

All i feel i can do in my role is to help provide effective policies and clear communications about what is means to publish online today and what impact positive and negative it can have.

These are also the same messages I am trying to get across to the organisation as a whole as we need to be concerned by reputation damage, but we can't stop people talking about us.

We need to listen to what they say and improve our service to ensure they have a positive experience next time. Excellent customer feedback mechanism.

For now though i need to pull together a clear and consistent explanation as to what all this is about. Any pointers or signposting welcome.

You thought social media was for the "kids?" Blogging, Twitter, Facebook...You don't have time to engage online with a bunch of people - you're busy with your job hunt! Think again!

Yesterday, I posted about the value of social networking for the job seeker. Then, as I usually do, I went through my blogroll to see what's out there in the career space. Coincidentally, Marci Alboher's blog for the New York Times, Shifting Careers, reminded readers of another great benefit of getting involved with social media such as blogging, Twitter, Facebook, linkedin, etc. It can help keep you looking young in a job market with a tendency to discriminate against older workers.

If you haven't looked for a job in a while and/or aren't tuned in to managing your "digital footprint" - what comes up when someone "Googles" your name - it's time for a quick lesson in social media. The long and the short of it is this: an online presence is key to how people will perceive you. Especially if you are in a "young" industry that discriminates against workers over 40, appearing connected to new ways of presenting yourself (your brand, as it were), may help you open doors that seemed closed.

Take a look at Marci's blog...It tells the story of a 49-year old entertainment reporter who remade her image by freshening up her appearance and wardrobe and creating a hip online presence that made her seem younger than would belie her 20 years of industry experience. She hired people to help her, which is a great idea, but Marci points out that asking fashion conscious friends and teenagers (your children or others') for advice and information about trends and technology is another option.

The key factor is, no matter how much experience you have, it is important to keep up with what is going on in today's job market. Video resumes, Wikis, video conferencing, Second Life, podcasts...Job seekers should be aware of these technologies and willing to use them! Be resourceful and aware - you may be surprised to learn that Web 2.0tools can be a lot of fun and helpful beyond networking and job seeking. (Be sure to let me know when you start using a Wiki to plan your next potluck!)

Facing discrimination in your job hunt? We can write your resume to make you look younger. Need help navigating social media and online networking? Keppie Careers is here for you!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

photo by Sarah Camp

But when it comes down to it, there is an easy way to find out the relative reputation of an organiation and its absolute reputation online.

The number of pages that have been indexed by search engines is an absolute measure of (nearly) all the mentions on web pages  (can we call this page impressions?). Some are good, some are powerful some are contortions of scream marketing and many are insightful and entertaining.

Compared with other similar organisations, it shows a measure of comparative reputation.

I agree that its not as simple as this but this is a good start.

There are other measures tht need to be included such as how old are these pages and how popular. Where are they in cyberspace (I still love the idea of cyberspace)?  Where are the web sites domains registered and where to they purport to belong (is this a .co.uk site or a .blogger.com site?). Do any of them point to the client web site? Are these comments supportive or embarasing and what kind of people write them or see them.

Is it possible to know these things?

Of course the answer is yes - this is Digicasity after all.

OK... and so what!

Well... I think of it this way. If you have a good reputation and you are a retailer then your largest shop is, by far, the web based one. It is also the least expensive and so the most profitable and it drives people into your bricks and mortar outlets.

This means that online reputation is a major contibutor to the bottom line.

This applies to all sorts of business - just ask Pub... he knows this too.

Granted, nothing horrific: no alcohol abuse, no expletives, or drag outfits.

Still.

A while back, I had been motivated to minimise my digital footprint after L.L did a quick search and found some information about me. This massive clean up involved deleting all of the following: several online journals, social networking sites-myspace and friendster as well as selectively editing articles with sensitive information.

What is your digital footprint like?

"data seepage": bits of benign data that people willingly broadcast to the world (as opposed to "leakage", which is data people want to hide from the world).

It's interesting that this bits of data are also known as friendly informations. These are your digital footprints which can be used by hackers to gather or construct information about you. Yes, this is how vulnerable we are ... 

As an iphone user and security aware person, I was really excited when Errata blogged "Call for Beta Tester". So, I immediately send my interest to volunteer and join as beta tester for Ferret (data seepage detection tool) iphone package and they accepted it. 

I'm looking forward to see more security tools in iphone as well as in Mac. 

Som exempel på detta är det en person som lurat till sig en handpenning på Ipod. Det visar sig senare att personen faktiskt använde sitt riktiga namn. Men att personen inte finns i Sverige och har uppgett en felaktig adress i Tyskland. Det blir ett drama där personens rykte säkerligen dras i smutsen. Det räcker med en enkel sökning på hans namn på en sökmotor för att finna brottet, som även delas av en person som bodde i samma svenska stad som förbrytaren. Detta är problematiskt. Denna person blev kontaktad och hade även tidigare blivit kontaktad i samma ärende när bedragaren tidigare varit farten.

Ytterligare exempel visar på hur familjen till förbrytaren kontaktas och hotas och hur polisen lågprioriterar brottet. Detta leder till en potentiell lynch mob som kan ta stora proportioner.  Men tydligen är inte normbrottet och de digitala fotspåren tillräckligt tydliga för att det ska vara möjligt i de fall som jag påträffat.

Strangely, I am not as worried as I should be even though I know that it’s not just my blogger friends whom I am talking to but a host of strangers...lurkers?

Well, I am not alone. A survey says that most internet users today (60 percent) are not really concerned about the amount of information they leave online and most of those who do worry (38 percent) do not take serious steps to limit it. Overall, almost 80 percent of internet users don't try too hard to limit the information they leave online, even if some of them worry about it.

And this tendency (to be more open on the net) is increasing over the years.

This survey was done in the United States about six months ago amongst 1,623 internet users and my feeling is that perhaps users in India would be more cautious...but I think the trend here is clear to see...as time goes by internet users are becoming less cautious about revealing themselves...and newer platforms are springing up everyday which tempt users to do so.

First lets take those who don't worry about the amount of personal information available about them online - the 60 percent.
Out of this group, 43 percent say they do nothing to limit the amount of personal information available about them online. The other 17 percent say that while they don't worry, they do “limit” the amount of personal information they give out. This group as a whole “actively uploads content.”

Now lets take those who do worry about the personal information about them available online - the 38 percent.
If we break this group up we get 18 percent who say they worry but don’t do anything to limit the information they give out. Only about 21 percent try to “proactively limit” the amount of personal information they upload.

So overall if we look at internet users, less than a quarter actually try to limit the information they give out on the internet. Well, it follows that very few people would actually monitor their online presence with any regularity…in fact of those who do, only 3 percent say they do it on a regular basis and 22 percent say they do it "every once in a while." The rest have done it a couple of times, that's all.

So if this survey is accurate, it means that almost 80 percent of internet users don't try take any serious steps to "limit" information available about them on the internet. And therefore it's not surprising that not many of us try to find out how much information is out there about ourselves.

Out of those who did search for their digital footprint (47 percent of internet users), a quarter (21 percent) of the self-searchers were surprised at the amount of information available about them online while 62 percent expected to find what they did. But 13 percent felt surprised that there wasn’t more information available about them online.

However, others are trying to find out something about you! 53 percent of internet users look for information about others...their friends, relatives or romantic interests!

• 9 percent of online adults have checked out someone they are dating. More women than men do this.
• 11 percent have done it to check out prospective employees.
• 19 percent have searched for information about co-workers, professional colleagues or business competitors.
• However a large proportion of those (36 percent) who search for information about others do it to locate someone from their past.

Well, that does give one an eerie feeling doesn't it...to know that once you put something out there on the net, it is completely out of your control. And it will be available there for years afterwards! A New York Times article says that if these trends are anything to go by "a time will come when nothing that is said online will be treated as embarrassing because we will have become accustomed to everyone disclosing everything."

And with sites like Spokeo.com, well things have got easier for those who want to spy on their friends! This site "searches your friends' blogs and photos across 22 social networks so you don't have to visit hundreds of websites one by one!"

No privacy anymore? Sure, strangers may not come up to me and tell me they know what my favourite colour is or what side of the bed I prefer or what I think of when I wake up...but well, they can easily find out. I wonder if that makes you feel as strange as it does me.

Related Reading: Cyber Stalking - the most common cyber crime
Censorship on students using Social Networking sites in India
The Dark side of the Internet
More articles on the Internet

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De digitala fotspåren som lämnas efter personer kan således till viss del förvanskas om de tar sig an en fejkad identitet. Internet har ett inneboende frågetecken i och med att det är virtuellt. Det är dock inte alltid detta uppmärksammas. Lite beroende av hur mycket information som finns tillgänglig är det bara en skugga av en person utanför datorskärmen. Visserligen rör vi oss alltid gentemot skuggor av personer, deras fulla jag kan aldrig upplevas.

EMC now has a digital footprint calculator on their website.  It estimates how much information is being created, stored and replicated by one's daily life.  This is an eye-opening exercise that points out all the myriad ways we each generate digital information, far beyond the obvious powerpoints, emails and digital movies.

Similarities to Carbon Footprint 

It has similarities with the Carbon Footprint concept, and of course is directly related due to the power needed to store the kept info I caused to exist in the world.  Another similarity: much of the information created on my behalf was not at my bidding.

I highly recommend the related IDC-EMC forecast of worldwide information growth through 2011.

According to EMC, I'm generating about 8 GB a day - over half a TB so far in 2008.  Beth Pariseau's and Chuck Hollis's footprints are here.

What's your digital footprint?  Comment back and we'll compare notes.

I was having dinner with a guy friend of mine last night and he started explaining the woos of juggling two girls - one on MySpace and one on Facebook. Now, I’ve heard of folks separating their personal social networks from their professional online spaces (imagine MySpace vs. Linkedin); however, this was the first time I encountered a friend keeping their social life (as messy as it is) in two different networking sites. My prediction - Facebook is destroying the split personality syndrome.

Part of the site’s strong growth rate is in large part due to the fact they appeal to both the professional and personal side of users. It’ll be interesting to see how people react as their physical identity merges with their online persona.

Personally, I can barely keep track of my car keys, much less having an @work-Deirdre and an @home-Deirdre. It’s hard enough having two email addresses! I often get questioned about the topic of split personalities since a large part of my job as a Technical Community Marketing Manager is interacting with users online. Basically, I live in the virtual world much like I do in the real one --- open, honest, and a bit wacky.

Oh and as for my friend, he called as I was writing this post to inform me the "MySpace Chick" is now requesting to be his friend on Facebook. Whoops!