Whether you like it or not, as soon as you connect your computer to the internet and you register on websites, you will have an online reputation. There are even cases when people who do not use the internet also have an online reputation. This cannot be helped because your personal information is scattered all throughout the web in various data bases of different companies, organizations and government agencies.
Your reputation online-although it exists in a virtual setting-is very important. For one reason, it is what people would think of you on the virtual world. Online reputation is just like your real world reputation that you should take care of because even in its most virtual setting, the internet is still a reliable information-base utilized by potential employees and school boards to monitor their clients, employees, candidates or student's reputation.
You can always protect your online reputation by following these tips:
1. Protect your personal information. This has been said time and again in different articles all over the World Wide Web. One of the most basic strategies to protect your personal data against identity theft and online fraud is to keep it private and never share it with anyone that you meet online as well as with people that you know, but is corresponding online. If you need to share your information to a certain website (for online banking or other "important" transactions), make sure that you are on a secure site that employs encryption technologies that will help avoid pilfering of your personal information.
2. Customize your privacy settings. If you are fond of using social networking sites, then you should know that most of these sites would allow you to control who has access to your content and who doesn't. If you post some very personal information about yourself, you have to be sure that your privacy settings is set to a very high level so that only people that you know can gain access to your account.
3. Keep your private life private, and your public life public even online. Never mix the two. Whenever possible, you have to use a different e-mail address for your varied online activities. For instance, if you perform online transactions like shopping and online banking, use a separate email address for these accounts. On the other hand, you should also have another email address where you will receive notifications about your social networking activities.
4. Be mindful of the photos that you post online. Never post pictures that will make you look irresponsible or will create a negative impact on your online reputations. Potential college or employers search the web and if they find any content that is unacceptable, you will suffer the consequences.
5. Be mindful of your language and content. You have to know that everything that you post online stays there forever. You have to assume that everyone will have access to your post and anyone can read it. This is to guarantee that you will always be careful with what you post and what emotion you share online.
Tina L. Douglas is a well established author on the topic of identity theft.
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