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This is a cross-post from my blog on Spartan Connect. Check out the original post here.

Now that you’re in college, it’s time to start thinking about your online identity. I think about this topic a lot, and I have done a lot of research on the subject.

As kids, we really don’t think about the consequences of our online adventures. How many of you signed up for accounts on gaming sites or other sites that you subsequently forgot about? I did an experiment, where I looked up usernames I had created when I was younger, and found over 60 various online accounts. At least 30 had not been used in several years.

I was a candidate for research at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and was asked to create a presentation about youth and the world wide web. View the Prezi presentation here. I discussed a possibility for an online solution, as well as what the common problems were as seen by Berkman and Internet researchers. Although the solution is geared towards children, pre-teens, and teenagers, we are still susceptible to the same problems. We have the opportunity to make better decisions about our presence online.

When you apply for jobs, human resources will look at your online history. Those pictures from your 21st birthday party on Facebook could be found. That post with un-friendly social commentary on Twitter can be tracked. Even if you have privacy settings, it’s possible for other people to share your information publicly. Basically, nothing is ever truly private on the internet. Once it’s out there, who knows what can happen.

We’re adults now. It’s time to start taking responsibility for our presence online. Mashable (my favorite source for news about social media) wrote a great article in 2009 about centralizing your identity. Read it here.

Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me at @DesignLightning with any follow up questions or conversation!