An Australian court ruled this week that if a defendant cannot be found, Facebook is now a viable medium for tracking them down and serving court papers.As you put your digital fingerprints online, you are leaving a permanent bunny trail of data behind. Not only are online actions irreversible, but they are making staying hidden more and more impossible. Everyone can make one of two choices about their digital fingerprint:
Option 1: Your online actions are unguided, unplanned, and unorganized. You forget that people are watching you and are forming a picture of who you are based on your online activities.
Option 2: You make an effort to create a purposeful picture of yourself online. As Jeremiah Owyang points out, Google search results are the new business card. When people search you, they can often put together a pretty good picture of what you are about. Not only can you not stay hidden, but now you must carefully craft what you want a 6-second picture of yourself to look like, as well as a more thorough investigation.
A few ideas to consider:
- What does your MySpace/Facebook/[insert social media community] profile say about you to potential employers? Your blog readers? Your extended family?
- Do you own www.yourname.com?
- Do you make it easy for an employer or company to get a quick picture of what you are about? A more detailed picture?
- Are any of your non-actions (or poor choice of actions) making you hidden or unqualified from certain opportunities?
- What are you going to do in the New Year to position yourself for success?