When posting to your favourite social networking site or YouTube channel do you ever stop to consider how much of yourself you’re really giving? Are you controlling your own digital reputation when you hit enter?

With the multitude of tablets, smartphones and easy access to connectivity people are more excited than ever before about the accessibility of the digital world.  Yet, still more are confused about how much of themselves they should share online.

Small business owners promote the value of Facebook platforms and a Twitter profile, kids use online educational/research tools and keep in touch with mates and parents are told to save time and sometimes money by using business tools and online payment services.  Whatever it is there is one common denominator: you may inadvertently be providing information you want to keep private online or that could have an adverse affect on your reputation.

Today is Safer Internet Day* an annual international event celebrated in 50 countries.  This year’s theme is It’s more than a game, it’s your life which is why we’ve teamed with AFL legend Adam Goodes (who knows a thing or two about how to protect your online identity) to reinforce that the internet is a great tool, but you still need to have balance between the real and digital worlds.

You can watch Adam’s advice below.

Next time you’re posting, sending, uploading or tweeting think about these Safer Internet Day tips:

• What you do online has real world consequences. Creating a positive online community is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re using your real name or an on screen avatar, what you post and how you treat others affects real people positively or negatively, including yourself.
• Manage your personal information online. Don’t assume that just because something looks credible online it’s safe to enter personal details. Think just as carefully about whether to post your phone number, address and credit card details as you would in the offline world. Use the privacy settings to manage who is able to view your information.
• Look after your digital reputation. Nothing you do online is anonymous. It’s not just your key personal information you should look after online – the same applies to your personal photos or details about what you did during the weekend.  Never forget that once it’s online it can be impossible to remove completely.
• Maintain a balance between your online and offline lives. Spending too much time online can have a negative impact on other parts of your life. A good balance between time on social networking sites and time with friends and family is important for everyone.
• Check out the age specific advice on the Cybersmart website for more information and steps on having fun and keeping safe online.

Use the lessons learnt from recent headlines and exposure from social networking sites of celebrities as a timely reminder that what goes online stays online. If you’ve had any experiences like this or have some other useful tips I’d love to hear them.

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