Digital Decluttering Episode 3: Digital legacy

Photo credit: @nordwood

Who are you online? 
Have you ever Googled yourself? 

Yes I know it sounds a bit weird but it can be a very interesting exercise. Obliviously an easier exercise if you have a more unusual name (like me) but you can focus it by location or middle names.

I did it the other day and the usual came up, Facebook, a load of donations to friends sponsorship pages and running race records. Nothing strange about that and that pretty well sums me up, love a good running race however slow I go, and love sponsoring others to do crazy things!

But this time there was something different, something I wasn't expecting...an article I had written for work that I thought had just gone onto the website. Apparently not ... it had been published on another news website, OK so news is a bit strong, a random supply chain magazine site. There was a mixture of pride (I'm so grown up) and shock when I saw the photo they had used (my horrible old LinkedIn photo). Now that article is there for all to see forever!

For that example, I am not going to go to work and demand they retract the article, as actually it is kind of cool and a reflection of my old life, but you need to be aware of what is going on out there about you.

• How much of you are you putting out there?

• What image it is giving to others?

It is best to think about your life into two areas; personal and work.

• What image do you want to be available for these areas?

• Is what is there what you want it to be?

• If not change it and keep it regularly under control with checks

• Is the security level correct for who you want to be able to find and see the content?

This is you and you have to keep it to what you want it to be as much as you do for the friends you make. Make good choices for now and in the future

Next week I will focus on your digital estate planning and start thinking about what to focus on now....