A clean slate, without the cleaning

As you can see from the above self assessment, I have significantly improved in managing my online identity along with its security and privacy.

I achieved this by first, making myself visible and constant across all social media platforms. I am Renu Mohan on Facebook, LinkedIn and even Whatsapp. I am Renu_Mohann on Twitter, as Renu Mohan was already taken. Although Whatsapp is not a social media platform by definition, I take it as an opportunity to show professionalism. Also, relating back to topic 3, to be authentic I provide my handphone number on my social media profiles.

Before:

Rap Lyrics for a status might be a little inappropriate right? And a watermelon? Hmm…

After:

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.- William B. Sprague” Leaves a better impression. And this profile picture is my profile picture on all my social media profiles!

I reinvented my Facebook profile as well. I incorporated Topic 2’s arguments. I managed to find a way to do both keeping one identity and multiple identities at the same time! Confusing? The hide button does wonders! I hid photos that I would not want my future employers to see. Here are the changes I made to my Facebook profile:

Before: Following an unconventional celebrity’s name might be slightly odd

 

 

After: I used my name, changed my profile picture so everyone can recognize me. I did not want to over do the whole professionalism thing, thus I chose a rather relaxed profile picture that screams a bit of me without being over the top.

Before: The posts that I shared that were similar to this, I hid it.

Marketing Related posts

After: The above are some of the posts that I share on my Facebook now. I did not want to ONLY post marketing posts as this might come across as trying to impress my employers too much. Recalling Topic 3, I try to be as authentic as possible without offending anyone.

I created a LinkedIn profile as well. I did a slightly more fun version of my Resume using LinkedIn.

Instead of merely listing my skills, I try to focus on other aspects of LinkedIn.

To be authentic: I try to add a real document that was given to me by the country manager during my internship stint

I have always been a firm believer of not throwing everything out there as it might come across as conceited. I decided to approach my profile in a slightly casual way because it shows who I actually am. But I still maintain some form of professionalism.

I also created another twitter account. I feel like I had to create another account. My personal account has too many things that are between my friends and I so I have decided to private that account. Due to this, I am for creating multiple identities.

This new account would feature tweets on my thoughts on topics of my interest.

Recalling this article, I do want to create a blog. I would start from Twitter, which is micro blogging and once I get the hang of updating it constantly, I would further into creating an entire blog for my topic of interests: marketing, market research and advertising.  Managing 2 identities can be made easier when hiding certain posts. On topic 4 and 5, being ethical would mean that I would credit all the authors of the articles I refer to and I would pay for certain content if needed when it comes to my social media platforms.

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Let us look back!

As this Topic is rather broad, I feel that many people interpreted it differently and raised many arguments and valid points. I felt that it was a very good topic to end this module with!

Pearlyn brought up the issue of developing countries wanting free information online. I have raised a few questions from this as I felt that under developed countries are not progressive enough to incorporate the Internet into their daily lives because

1. The Internet is not readily available to them
2. They might not be very literate in the computer/Internet.

And apart from under developed countries, can we start free information on the Internet for educational purposes to eliminate formal education itself? It is not possible as articles are merely articles to SUPPORT formal education. Not the source of education.

Clinton’s post definitely made me think, why are we questioning paying for content online? We can pay 13 dollars to go the cinemas but we choose to avoid paying any money at all when it comes to watching movies online. This is a marketing question actually, and the answer is plainly simple. We pay for the experience. We do not pay for the content actually. So I think we should all look at this and start to pay for content.

We have to pay a reasonable amount as well. This means we cannot be the main source of revenue for content providers online. Linking back to my post, Youtube pays their providers handsomely, as they earn revenue from advertising as well. So, if Youtube were to start to ask us to pay a fixed amount every month just to enjoy watching these providers, for a reasonable price, why not? I would pay, given the reasonable price as I have already liked the content provided.

Just for fun guys, this video explains how much a Youtuber can make per video! Check it out 😀 Look at 2:23 onwards!

Time to pay up!

“An online producer oversees the making of content for websites and other online properties. Online producers are sometimes called “webproducers,” “publishers,” “content producers,” or “online editors.”-Wikipedia

I do not quite agree with the definition of content producers provided above. Instead I would like to approach this topic with consideration that content producers can be anyone who creates content such as video, audio, photographs, articles, journals and post them online. By being more inclusive on who posts online more people are given the respect as having some form of ownership of their content on the web.

When a content producer makes their content available online without a paywall, people enjoy the content and positive things happen from it. YouTubers post the content, let people watch their videos for free and they get things like a bigger fan base. More views on their videos means more money for them. This is an advantage when your content is free for people to watch. Look at this video when a simple boy made it famous because of YouTube, a free video platform.

See how far he made it just because he posted videos for free?

Vice versa, if the content is not free, it would backlash. Look at the reactions Tidal got, when they decided to have a paywall for paying customers only.

Paywalls also mean that people would want to find ways to illegally download the content for free which would backfire the point of the content being there, which is to earn money. This is very evident in the film industry, especially with Torrent being very commonly used.

A disadvantage of free content would be content producers might not be recognized as they is no value with their content. People might take advantage of it and not even credit them.

So depending on how you look at it, paying for content is a good thing for content producers, as staying free comes with added benefits such as fame, increased credibility which would directly lead to more profit in the long run. However, we as people who view these contents should respect the content providers and ensure that we credit them enough. An effective way to show respect and credit them properly would be via paywalls which should be reasonably priced, to protect the general public.

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References:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kmallikarjuna/im-not-feeling-myself#.fflAgQyNQ

https://www.quora.com/What-are-your-views-on-using-torrent-sites-to-download-pirated-movies-books-tv

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/12/90-online-content-be-held-behind-paywalls-three-years-media-company-survey-suggests

https://www.quora.com/%CE%BCTorrent/What-are-the-ethical-issues-involved-in-downloading-pirated-material-through-torrent-clients

Let us look back

This topic has been a very relatable one for me. I am glad that I managed to blog about it as I do talk about this frequently.

Firstly, I would like to highlight YiXin’s post where she talked about the relationship between consumer confidence AND ethical use of social media marketing. Models who are more relatable would definitely increase consumer confidence in that product as it is easier to associate themselves with the models used. Imperfections are only normal so why not right? So are our differences and such so yes I really think a revolution has to be started where models online are actually “imperfect” according to societal standards.

Next, I would like to highlight Sheryl’s post where she questioned the ethics of employment using social media. Throughout this module, we have been focusing on how to showcase ourselves on social media how we have to restrict ourselves so much that our originality is threatened.

Companies need to exercise caution by incorporating social media monitoring policy or pre-employment guide (pg 8) as part of their recruitment policy to ensure that they are not getting hold of candidates’ information unethically.

But we have not questioned how many companies have not incorporated what Sheryl has mentioned in her blogpost. It is unfair isn’t it? But at the end of the day we are the ones who have to please, not the employers, so there’s that! And plus points if we have good reputation online, perhaps having a professional blog, (only if you really want to) might be a good thing, it does let us express ourselves better and learn more.

So instead of questioning it, let us embrace it and see the good side to companies being ‘unethical’!

See my comment on Yixin’s blog here

See my comment on Sheryl’s blog here

Be happy

Something horrible happens, we tweet about it. All we want is an outlet to vent our frustrations and other emotions! As Glen Greenwald has classified people as “good” and “bad” people we are good people, I mean we are not plotting attacks against the president, we just want to complain about how much homework have. Yet, we have to be so discreet about it. Oh the irony of being secretive on platforms that is for the world to see! Well some people do not deal with this irony, in fact they embrace their social media presence and what is better? They make tons of money out of it. Now that is the dream life isn’t it?

So we have all heard of businesses using social media and hiring social media influencers to promote their business/products. Examples of these social media influencers would be XiaXue, Acacia Brinley, Arika Sato and Trisha Paytas. The question lies, is it actually ethical for business to use them to promote their products/businesses? Sure, there are laws governing this practice, such as “Titling advertorial posts as advertorial” but is it ethical to use someone who is popular to make money? Ah, putting it like that does make it seem horrible right?

Well social media advertising harms 2 parties, first being the audience of the social influencer and the social influencer themselves. The arguments for the harms to the public audience are very similar to marketing being unethical, such as, the reliability of the ad, the accuracy of the effects shown etc. I would be focusing on the harms done to the latter

Recently, Essena O’Neil did an exposé on being a social media model. She mentioned being depressed in what she has to wear in her photos, which was sponsored. It is definitely unethical to make someone feel like that just so you could make money or just because you pay them. She must have been so tired that she gave up to have exposed social media like that.

The audience of these ads would definitely want to be like the social media influencers, they would do everything possible to be like them. They would starve to be skinny, wear too little to be ‘cool’. This would all start from a young age and soon children would grow with esteem issues.

But the extent how bad it affects everyone just to grow a business really does depend on an individual. So do you want to be a social media influencer or do you want to be happy? You can’t have both unless you are promoting what you WANT to.

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References:

https://www.slantnews.com/story/2015-11-03-this-instagram-model-is-revealing-the-truth-about-her-fake-life-essena-oneill-model-social-media

http://www.mtv.com/news/2148743/instagram-models-kendall-jenner-cara-delevingne-gigi-hadid/

Sharing is learning…on top of caring

After reading this article: http://www.theemployable.com/index.php/2014/10/28/blogging-can-help-get-job/

I have decided that I do want to set up a blog based on my interests. I would love to have a career in Human Resource, so I would love to start blogging about topics about the human psyche and talk about various issues that have happened in various organisations or the different employee retention policies different organisations have. I feel that in this way, employers would know that I have an understanding of the Human Resource World. I would also start on working on a standardized pseudonym for all my social media profiles. The reason for a pseudonym instead of my real name being used would be me still wanting to create another identity online. Topic 2 has made me want to have a separate identity, as I believe it is safer for me.

In Singapore, being controversial is highly frowned upon, but XiaXue has managed to still survive as one of the most influential bloggers to date. I would like to be someone like her, discussing controversial topics BUT avoiding offending other people.

After reading TianYi’s post, it did occur to me that maybe overtime, a resume wont be relevant anymore. It would not be required; a shorter but more overall process of hiring someone would just be following his or her online profiles. It s quite possible given the fact that people can actually make money from their own social media profiles.

After reading Edward’s post: it has occurred to me that we have to take not only maintain being a professional online BUT not say offensive things. He has mentioned a few cases that were local and very relatable; I was quite shocked to see that they were instantly terminated after their comments.

View my Comment on Edward’s post here.

View my Comment on TianYi’s post here.

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Anyone can be online, but being authentic online? Ah!

Online personal profile primarily includes social media, your own and others affiliated with you. As mentioned in this research: 73%of recruiters are hiring candidates usi

ng social media. An online professional profile would definitely boost the chances in your hands to land a job of your dreams. For it to be authentic, however, takes time and proper management.

It is often emphasised that all pseudonyms and handles should be consistent for you to be easily identifiable. That is the first step for you to be recognised as an “authentic” person because you have so many profiles of various networks, it is difficult to miss you and wont be contradicting yourself or confusing future employers with different names. Getting it verified would be an added bonus, perhaps pay the extra amount to do so. If you are a celebrity online or even a You Tuber, being verified would help you out.
To be authentic you have to be interactive with everyone. No one is going to hire you if you have a boring profile that lists your skills sets and interests, add personality, go beyond that. Actively follow various people/organisations, leave comments on posts and be as appropriate as possible.

On the topic of being active, this article, has given insig
ht on how blogs can contribute to an online professional profile. Having a blog on your topic of interest and providing opinions arguments even talking about controversial topics can definitely paint a better picture of who you are as a person. Your online profile would be authentic if your blog posts do not talk about “my skill sets” or “my strengths and weaknesses”. Even talking about similar things over and over again would be boring. Instead, punctuate your blog posts with relevant articles to your job scope. For example, if I would like to apply for a marketing job, I would create a blog with posts such as “Apple vs. Microsoft” “where did MySp
ace go wrong?” and even “my thoughts on the latest Snapchat privacy policy”. It is also important to maintain the blog and reply to comments. This way your employers can see how are you in handling interactions at work that might not support your stand.

Last but not least, to maintain an authentic online profile, avoid saying inappropriate things ESPECIALLY if you are being/are a professional. Notice how a few comments that were posted jokingly by Justine Sacco ruined her life and chances of every getting employed. Sure freedom of speech has to be compromised if you are being professional but at the end of th
e day, which do you choose? Getting a job while being professional OR saying what you want to say with a job that you are forced in to? You can choose both by having separate online identities but then again there is the whole argument of having multiple online identities!

Image Source: http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j179/photocrap3000/are_you_legit.jpg

(476 Words)

Topic 2-Review

Topic 2 Review

Reading what people have said about my post has made me challenge myself.

When I was researching for material for Topic 2’s blog post, I came across this article, which I found very interesting. It definitely opened my eyes to how else identities can be formed on the internet, sure we have the typical cat fisher stories where someone steals an identity or creates another persona to lure people and take advantage of them. But this article was on another level. To come up with pity stories as another person, just to gain support or followers, this is indeed something new. I have never come across this until reading on this article. Do we really need to take action against them as Mabel has mentioned? Or should we leave them be as no harm is being done? I agree with the latter.

On the topic of online identities, I have noticed that a huge lot of people have mentioned that it is good to have at least 2 identities, like what WanChyng has also mentioned. Being professional is one identity but having less intense fun identity is also beneficial for us. However, it might be possible to integrate these 2 identities online, by filtering what is appropriate fun and what is not.

Snapchat has also launched a new update with new privacy terms. People blindly agree to them until someone points it out. It is now very controversial and people are reconsidering keeping the app as what was supposed to be shared among and approved list of friends can now be shared globally, which is very scary.

In conclusion, the key is managing your online identities. Having one or multiple identities comes with responsibility. Ultimately, it is in our hands to control what we want people to see. Simply put, if you don’t want people to see it, don’t share it.

Click here to see the comment I left on Luna’s Blog

Click here to see the comment I left on WanChyng’s Blog.

References:

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/snapchat-new-privacy-policy

http://www.wired.com/2014/07/virtual-unreality-the-online-sockpuppets-that-trick-us-all/

Two identities…not a bad idea? Maybe.

In this very modern age, our digital footprints are constantly monitored. As scary as it is, we do not want to admit it: people who we don’t even know are watching us. That is terrifying. These ‘people’ range from future employers to criminals. With the growing need to protect our reputation, with the fear of being judged, we resort to creating identities of ourselves on the Internet, which might not be representative of who we actually are. Sometimes, we create personas, where we want a certain group of people to think of us in a certain way. In my blog entry, I would be raising arguments as to why having more than one online identity can be a good and bad idea.

People often argue that having more than one online identity protects reputation. You have a ‘professional-work-friendly’ Facebook page and another page for all the ‘fun stuff that is not so work-friendly’.

As this tutorial has mentioned: http://www.internetsociety.org/online-identity-overview#overlay-context= cookies can be stored and organisations can get a hold of it. So if the ‘professional’ you decided to Google Search what ‘fun’ you would not, you are caught in your lies.

However, with proper management of both accounts, both identities, your aim of maintaining a professional persona of yourself can be achieved without jeopardizing your ‘fun’.

“Individuals are multifaceted. Identity is prismatic,”

Which I agree. It is only natural for us to have many identities in real life, so why not reflect that on our online life? At least we are being honest? Many websites give us different identities as consumers anyway, so why not? I definitely agree to let our online lives reflect who we are. It is highly likely for people to pass judgement; therefore being conservative at least on the Internet is good.

People create false multiple identities. In this article: http://www.wired.com/2014/07/virtual-unreality-the-online-sockpuppets-that-trick-us-all/ here, it was mentioned that someone created an entirely different identity to talk about his opinions. Honestly, it does not affect anyone in a legal sense, but is it really ethical? To voice our your opinions using a different vessel, gaining followers who look up to you only to know that you do not understand what they are going through? I question creating multiple identities again.

In conclusion, I would say having 2 identities is fine as long as you are in control of it. However, the 2 identities should be created for a specific reason that is ethical such as keeping a job, or keeping bank information safe. NOT like what Tom MacMaster did.

Self-Test on Digital Literacy

1. Accessing, managing and evaluating online information (Rating : 2)
   • Being a student gives me an added benefit to access journals online for free. My university provides me an opportunity to look at these articles.
2. Participating in online communities (Rating : 1)
   • I would not say that I am actively involved in any online community, but, I do leave comments if the need arises.
3. Building online networks around an area of interest (Rating : 4)
   • My interest would include fashion, food and traveling. My personal Instagram account does reflect this and I manage it well so I would say I build my network around this.
4. Collaborating with others (Rating : 1)
   • I don’t really work together with anyone to produce something on the Internet. Whatever I display on the Internet is from me rarely from a group that I am in.
5. Creating online materials (text, audio, images, video) (Rating : 2)
   • I don’t really create much content. But I do take pictures and edit it. Sometimes, I do Vlogs but its not for the public to see. I do Snapchat stories for my friends who have my number.
6. Managing your online identity (Rating : 3)
   • I try to keep 2 separate accounts, thus 2 different identities. One is a more professional one, while the other is more informal, which I keep private.
7. Managing your online privacy and security (Rating : 3)
   • As I have 2 identities online, one is more private, the other isn’t.

After looking at the different components of digital literacy and seeing that my score if very low I hope to improve it from this module. Hopefully, a score of 4 and above for each component? Hopefully!!!