MySpace - MyImageMySpace - MyImageWhat Does Your Online Image Tell the World?What Does Your Online Image Tell the World?

Social NetworkingSocial Networking

• Nearly half of all adults in the United States with Internet access (42%) are active on one or more social networking websites.

• Two years ago, this number was only 20%.

Forrester Research

Social Networking HistorySocial Networking History

• 1995 Classmates – 40 million members• 1999 Xanga – 40 million members• 2002 Reunion – 28 million members• 2002 Friendster – 70 million members• 2003 Hi5 - 50 million members• 2003 MySpace – 245 million members• 2004 Facebook – 250 million members• 2004 Orkut (Google) – 120 million• 2005 Bebo (AOL) – 40 million members• 2005 YouTube (Google) – 83.4 million videos• 2006 Twitter

Guide to Social NetworkingGuide to Social Networking

Social Networking Siteshttp://traffikd.com/social-media-websites/

Social Networking Warswww.youtube.com/watch?v=lYoAwfh4QOU&feature=related

Image ManagementImage Management

Stephanie Rosenbloom

Putting Your Best Cyberface Forward

The New York Times

“We post information online in an attempt tocontrol how others perceive us”

Image ManagementImage Management

“Personal branding” is the way you market yourself to the world

Who is Your Audience?Who is Your Audience?

• Friends

• Dating

• Networking

• Jobs

• Entertainment

Why do you have an online profile?

Student ProfilesStudent Profiles

Dedicated Student

Aspiring Businessman

Party Animal Glamorous Rave Queen

Multiple AudiencesMultiple Audiences

Does the e-version of you appeal to multiple audiences…friends, co-workers, family members, future employers?

Online Profile and Job SearchingOnline Profile and Job Searching

• Would you let yourgrandmother see youronline profile?

• If not, you don’t wanta potential employerto see it, either.

Impression ManagementImpression Management

• Social networking and dating sites are “like impression management on steroids”

• They are new forms of communication “people don’t have a very strong sense yet of what they’re doing or what the best practices are”

Joseph B. WaltherProfessor of CommunicationMichigan State University

Check Your Cyber ImageCheck Your Cyber Image

dmoz.orgClick on the link and enter your name in the search box

Additional Search EnginesAdditional Search Engines

CVGadget.com - Person Search Engine

Free People Search - Find People – Wink

Pipl - People Search

Peek You

Monitor Your ImageMonitor Your Image

Create a Google Alert of your name.

This way you’ll be aware of new itemsGoogle has found based on your name.

Google Alertswww.google.com/alerts

What Cyber Info Did You Find?What Cyber Info Did You Find?

Why does it matter?

• Employers regularly check online sources before hiring new employees

• Law enforcement checks cyberspace

• Schools and colleges monitor social networking sites

• Of the 45% of employers who conduct online searches of job candidates:29% use Facebook26% use LinkedIn21% use MySpace11% search blogs 7% use Twitter.

• 18% of employers said they found content on social networking sites that encouraged them to hire the candidate, while 35% of employers found content that caused them not to hire the candidate.

Career Builder

Online TipsOnline Tips

• Derogatory comments• Revealing or risqué photos• Fowl language or lewd jokes

Nothing is private…avoid the following

Use the “block comments” feature on your site – That way others can’t post inappropriate comments on your page

What’s on the Web Stays on the WebWhat’s on the Web Stays on the Web

• Everything on the Internet is archived and available for later access

WayBack Machinewww.archive.org

The Dark Side of Social NetworkingThe Dark Side of Social Networking

Don’t use social networking sites like this

if you are trying to get a job or into a selectcollege

• Hatebook – Welcome to Hatebook

Make Yourself Virtually Squeaky Clean

Make Yourself Virtually Squeaky Clean

Reputation Defender

CAUTIONCAUTION

Don’t be a victim of identity theftMake your information "Cyber Safe”

Minimal contact information makes it harder

for your identity to be stolen

How Much Info is Safe?How Much Info is Safe?

• Remove your standard "contact information" Your name, address, phone numbers, unless you have an unlisted phone number like most cell phone numbers

• Replace the contact information with an e-mail address that is harder to trace to you personally, like one of the Web-based e-mail addresses

Identity Theft VictimsIdentity Theft Victims

You have the right to ask nationwide consumer credit reporting companies to place "fraud alerts" in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it difficult for someone to get credit in your name.

You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling one of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.

• Equifax: 1-877-576-5734; www.equifax.com • Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com/fraud • TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com

What About Personal Safety?What About Personal Safety?

Don’t provide predators with too much information

Click the MySpace linkfor a safety quiz

Reporting online predators

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

www.secure.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/CybertipServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US

Report Cyber Bullies

http://www.wiredsafety.org/

www.komando.com/myspace/index.asp

How Safe is a Private Profile?How Safe is a Private Profile?

• IT’S NOT… Anyone -- even those without a MySpace or Facebook account can

plug the target's public account number, called a "Friend ID," into a specially constructed URL that grants access to private profiles.

• Facebook Private Profile Viewer

• MySpace Private Profile Viewer

What About Pictures?What About Pictures?

• Do you want a potential employer to see the pictures you post online?

• What about your friend’s profiles? Are you tagged or identified on their sites?

Could it Happen to You?Could it Happen to You?

Television weatherman fired after friend plays a prank and posts an inappropriate picture on MySpace.

Life in a Fishbowl?Life in a Fishbowl?

You can’t control what your friends post on their sites.

Be aware of your actions in public and at parties.

Criminal Records and Credit Check Criminal Records and Credit Check

• In addition to checking social networking sites employers will conduct both a criminal background check as well as a credit check when hiring new employees.

Grayson County

Criminal Records

Criminal Searches

Social Networking and Job SearchingSocial Networking and Job Searching

Facebook Job Search Groups

Friendster Jobs Directory

MySpace - MyImageMySpace - MyImage

Your online image is unique…be creative

Don’t post inappropriate pictures

Use caution in posting too much information

Have fun but be safe!