I think that your digital footprint can effect your future opportunities, by, showing the positive things that you have shared on the internet, as well as the negative things. If you have negative posts on your social media platforms, then that could potentially derail a job opportunity or even a college or university application. Where as, if there were only positive things on any of your social media platforms, it would probably look better on a resume, college, or university application. It could even make them want to hire or accept you more, if there are only positive messages shown on your digital footprint.

To keep you digital footprint appropriate and safe, would be to keep your accounts private. This could help to keep your social platforms safe, from people who you don’t want to see your accounts to only your friends, or the people you do want to see it. Another way to keep your account appropriate, would be to not swear, or say rude things to anyone else. You could also try to keep what you post things that don’t give away too much personal information (phone numbers, addresses, where you go to school, ect), to that there is a level of privacy between you and any stranger.

You could also make sure that the accounts that you follow are good ones, rather than ones that indicate inappropriate things, as this could give off the wrong impression to someone who is considering you for a job or a college or university.

I would pass on to other students, that everything say online is going to be seen by someone, and you never know who that someone could be. If you are going to say something mean to someone or a generalization of people, just don’t. Because it will probably just backfire and end up hurting you just as much as it hurt whoever you said it to.

And, if you’re angry about something, it can seem tempting to say something to someone, but odds are, that the next day, once you’re over it and have calmed down, you’ll probably regret it, and even if you try to delete it or apologize, its probable that many people have already seen it, and whoever you meant to send it to probably saw it too, and apologies won’t erase what you have already said to that person.

I would share this with students, by doing what I am right now, putting it up onto my Edublogs, and sharing it within the school, while also creating a positive digital footprint for myself.