I had a quick conversation the other day with a friend. I had mentioned something about DIGITAL FOOTPRINT to her. She stopped walking and said “I don’t even know what that means!”
So, let’s discuss…your digital footprint. Put it this way, anything you post, tweet, or text leaves a trail. It cannot be erased. If you’ve ever Googled your name, you may be surprised. I was surprised when my own son Googled me! But that makes sense for me…I’m out there, er…here on social media all the time – that’s my job afterall.
He wasn’t very comfortable seeing that people can see where I’ve been. But I had to explain to him that what I post up is what I do for work….and maybe some great shopping deals. Anyway, it was a perfect lesson for him and we had a discussion.
Social media is the most convenient way for many of us to communicate and share these days (I admit I love seeing your baby photos and Halloween costumes). Now, with my kids entering the stage of possibly heading into this zone it’s the perfect time to give them the foundation in hopes that they will make sound decisions for themselves. Starting with the explanation of the digital footprint. Now, it’s nothing to be alarmed of (I won’t insert a jab at any particular politician name here) unless you’ve got something to hide. Ahem.
But we all need to be more aware of what is “OUT THERE”. The fact is, the internet and social media is part of our daily lives but we can be more “street smart” about it all.
Our friends at TELUS recently embarked on a commitment to help us navigate through the murky waters. It’s a great resource that anyone can access whether you’re a customer or not. TELUS WISE is for all ages and not just for kids. Even grandparents will benefit from the various topics that can educate them on this fast pace world. Kudos to my parents and my in-laws who are trying to keep up. It’s truly important stuff!
Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t share it with anyone and change it often.
Now, TELUS offered up some amazing online tips for kids that are worth a discussion at the dinner table….
1. Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t share it with anyone and change it often.
2. Don’t post or say anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see. Remember, what you say and do online matters — anything you say or post might end up getting spread around or seen by people you didn’t think would see it.
3. Think carefully about how you want people to see you before you pick a name and a profile picture or avatar. Think twice about names and pictures that are misleading, rude or just silly — they could come back to haunt you.
4. Never share personal information about yourself, like where you live, with someone you don’t know online.
5. When you send someone a picture or post a picture online they can do anything they want to it, and so can anybody else who sees the picture. That’s why it’s important to think about how you’d feel if any of those things happened before you send a or post a picture.
6. Don’t share stuff that makes other people look bad, but you shouldn’t hold onto it either. Somebody else might get at your phone or your computer and make a copy. Better to delete it right away!
7. If someone says or does something mean to you online, don’t try to argue with them or get back at them: just stop talking to them. Then block them from contacting you anymore (you may need to talk to a website moderator to do this). Save evidence of what they did and talk to your parents or another adult that you trust. They’ll help you figure if you need to do anything else.
For more information and to learn more about how to keep your family safe on the Internet, smartphone and security tips, link here to TELUS WISE . You may also be interested in attending one of their TELUS WISE seminars as well. The information is on the site.
It’s so important for parents and kids to be aware of what’s going on and education is key. This is part of life for many of us, and as parents, we’re trying to keep up. But this information is good for anyone don’t you think?
I’d love to know what forms of social media kids are using these days, are yours on?
This post is not sponsored, nor was I compensated. Tips were provided by TELUS WISE. All other opinions expressed are my own.
Great post, Sonya (I’ll admit I just googled my daughter…thank goodness nothing came up!) I try to keep close tabs on what she’s doing online, without invading her privacy. We have “that talk” all the time. These days I actually think it’s more important than the other “that talk” that parents of teens famously dread having 😉
Such important information here – great post, Sonya!!
Really good tips. I’ll share this with my kids.
And it’s entirely FREE! 🙂 Great post, thanks Sonya!
As usual, great post! Thanks for the tips…will do a refresher with the kids (while they roll their eyes)!