Managing your Digital Footprint

Digital footprints are the records and traces individuals activities as they use the Internet. Digital footprints are permanent stored. Your interactions on social media, your friend circle on social media sites, sited you visit, online purchases, locations visited through Facebook check-ins etc. all make up your digital footprints.

In this era, your digital reputation is equally important, which is controlled by your digital footprint.

To manage your digital footprint, you can follow the guidelines given below :

1. Know what your digital footprint is :

   Look at all the social networking sited and forums that you belong to, and search your name to know what information about you is available.

   
   
   
2. E-behave responsibly :
   You should be smart and sensible enough to know which sites you are visiting, which emails you are sending, or what links you open. Also, make sure to never share your location when online.
3. Keep your digital footprint clean :
   Carefully go through your social media handles, past browsing history on YouTube and other public sites and do the following :
   • Remove any photos, content, and links that may be inappropriate.
   • Remove any details about you that reveal too much information like your phone number, school, college name, address etc.
4. Control the visibility of your information :
   Every web browser, social networking site offers options in their settings to control the visibility and access of your information. Rather than making every browsing activity and post of your public, your should be selective about who you authorize to access your information. It should be limited only your known circles or the people you can trust upon (private), e.g., Friends, or Friends of Friends, or your contacts etc.
5. Allow Comments Moderation :
   As you know many comments on public websites are publicly seen, monitor and moderate comments associated with you to maintain a positive digital footprint, and a positive digital footprint is very important thing.
6. Think before you post :
   All the above mentioned steps are to control what has been done earlier. But if you are cautious and think before you post anything online, your digital footprint will be clean.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
Be Careful About	Be Smart About
What you share online Where you share With whom you share	Sites you visit Emails you open Links you clicks