You're all over the place on the Internet. You've got a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and multiple forums and blogs related to your profession and hobbies and passions. But what sort of image do these various identities add up to? Do you come off like a serious professional? A wild-eyed extremist? A thoughtful intellectual? A troll? Or all of the above, depending on the platform?
It's advantageous to understand the audience and nature of every place you put yourself out there on the web – they're all a little different. But by using each digital forum individually to reap its unique benefits – whether it's professional networking, amateur photography, trolling the masses, or commenting on a picture of a sloth – you may not be working towards your best interest. You might actually be creating a fragmented digital identity that leads others to distrust or misunderstand you.
Try to pay attention to what the bigger picture of all of your digital identities adds up to. Your online avatar is an increasingly essential part of your entire persona. More than just an anonymous tool, it's an extension of your physical world, and an integral, symbiotic part of it. It's how you'll get jobs, communicate with friends, discover new things, make plans, buy clothes, and on and on and on. And it's only going to become more and more important to you as the Internet works its way deeper into our everyday objects and activities: in appliances, cars, kitchens, homes, and more.
So if you're a reserved reviewer on Yelp but a loudmouth on Reddit, consider why you're approaching things that way and what you get out of it. Is the anonymity encouraged by Reddit allowing you to vent your private thoughts without judgment? Is that something you need? Consider what might happen if a potential employer or parent puts the pieces together and links your accounts. It may not take that much skill to do it, depending on how vigilant you are in covering your trail.
Fortunately, in the digital world, you can exert a great deal of control over what people see. If you keep an eye on all your online outlets, you can put forward whatever kind of public image you want. All the better if it's honest and consistent. So here are a few tips on how to make that happen:
Create your own front page
Consolidating and controlling digital persona can be as simple as funneling it into one central hub that only you have the power to edit. In that one easily findable spot, you can introduce yourself, offer links to other sites where you have a presence, and take control of the image you put out.
Buy your own domain name and create your own web site. Services such as Weebly make that easy. Or for a free and even easier solution, make Facebook your main hub.
Google yourself
Want to know what people can discover about you without much trouble? Google your name and any screen names you currently have or used to have. You might be surprised what you find: old articles, ancient accounts, embarrassing pictures. You might be able to make some of those disappear by deleting an old LiveJournal or MySpace profile. Some items – like those published by others - might be outside your control. There's another way to distance yourself from those: Try rebranding.
If you find that you can't escape the old (and embarrassing) you, consider updating the current you to put some distance between you guys. Adopt a new stage name that's similar to your name or makes a play on it (Steve Jensen could become "SteveJen", for example), and make that your online identity across all of your accounts. Do the same with your visual avatar, too. Whether you're accustomed to using a recent headshot or a photo of your cat as a profile picture (hopefully with Mr. Buttons' permission), make it consistent across all your accounts so that you and others always know which accounts are authentic.
And if you want to keep that private Reddit profile private, make sure those types of accounts are totally distinct from the official identity you've forged: Different username, password, email address, everything. If one thread connects, any amateur sleuth can find your account.
Make sure your identity isn't stolen
As you make yourself more discoverable, you need to make sure you're safe. Passwords are compromised all the time, allowing people's personal accounts to fall into the hands of total strangers. The last thing you want is some troll masquerading as you after you've done all this work to take control of your digital identity. If you want to get in charge and keep it that way, make sure you use the best procedures and programs to keep yourself protected online.
Use a different, but long and strong password for each network. If the network offers two-step verification, use it. And always do your best to stay informed on the threats you face. This short video from Norton offers some additional information on how hackers steal your password.
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