Library Basics Part 10: Managing your digital identity
Have you ever Googled yourself? What comes up? Is it a post about your greatest achievements, or an occasion that you’d rather forget?
Your online identity is an important part of your academic and future professional persona. It’s the first thing that others (including prospective employers) will see when they search your name – and they will search your name! We recommend you keep your personal and professional social media profiles separate from each other and use the privacy settings to manage what other people can see.
But remember, even if you do have strong privacy settings on your social media profiles, things can still be shared, copied and stored by others. Once something’s online, it can be very difficult to reverse, even if you delete it.
Don’t forget the rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t want your family or your best friend to see it, don’t post it. Be polite and respect others online.
As you get ready to pursue a career, consider setting up a LinkedIn profile (or ResearchGate or Academia.edu if you’re going into research jobs) to make yourself more visible to employers. You can share your work-related skills and achievements, and start building up your network.
Other social media tools such as Twitter allow you to join conversations and meet others in your field. Hashtags can be helpful to find these conversations, or you can follow experts or prospective employers.
And of course, if you haven’t already, you can follow us at @DeakinLibrary on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with your library.
Other Library Basics blogs
Are you in your first trimester at Deakin or returning to study after a break? We’ve got you covered. Each week, we’re sharing a library tip, tool or service we think you should know about. The library is key to your success at uni – make the most of everything we have to offer by following our Library Basics!
- Part 1: Explore your online library
- Part 2: Finding information
- Part 3: Searching effectively
- Part 4: Choosing the right resources
- Part 5: Finding peer-reviewed, evidence-based articles
- Part 6: Make sure you reference correctly
- Part 7: Ethical use of information
- Part 8: Spaces for your study needs
- Part 9: Support beyond Deakin
Originally published on Article, the Deakin Library blog.