Deleting your Online Existence

Pip H · Jul 13, 2012

I'm unsure if this has been posted before. If it has - apologies!

If someone could kindly redirect me I would be very grateful, but I doi apologise for the extra work!!

I am currently looking for a job within publishing/proofreading/editing etc, and have read numerous times about how employers in general may well often look up your name on search engines and social networks just to see who you are.
I often use the same username for websites that I use casually (i.e. talking with friends, joking around, hobbies/interests etc) - so it may look very unprofessional! Unfortunately with an internet search some of these come up. (My real name is pretty odd and distinguishable!)

I have managed to disable my name from being searched via facebook, and have stopped linking accounts to my real name, and use a nickname for online socialising with friends, and a pen name for writing.

How else can I go about keeping my real name associated with more professional websites, if any? - I'd like to pick up a few tips so that both my writing and career side of things stay professional-looking and separate from my socialising.

Does anyone have any useful tips?

vivalalauren · Jul 13, 2012

Honestly, it is really hard to truly "delete" anything from the internet. If you look up my gmail address, (same as this username) you'll see applications for anime RPGs and fanfic exchanges I did in high school. I think - and hope that employers agree - that there is a difference between unprofessional behavior and showing that you have an online presence.

Richard Falk · Jul 14, 2012

I really wouldn't worry about it. Your social online presence centres around your interests in anime and cosplay, and that sort of stuff adds depth to a CV (particularly in the creative professions) as well as creating a talking point for interviews. It's photographs of drunken shenanigans, accompanied by barrages of swearing, that are the problem, and as we both know that's really not your scene!

Pip H · Jul 14, 2012

Thank you both for reassurance - I don't think I'll be changing online accounts around then!

I've never thought about online presence as a positive, but now that I think about it, it probably isn't as bad as I was thinking.

kohuether · Jul 17, 2012

Pip H said:
Thank you both for reassurance - I don't think I'll be changing online accounts around then!
I've never thought about online presence as a positive, but now that I think about it, it probably isn't as bad as I was thinking.

Right. You can just use social media to show people what you want them to see. The rest is really just filler. Your blog and social profiles, I think, are the things to pay attention to.

randi.lee · Jul 17, 2012

Don't blog about how you were so drunk last Saturday night that you threw up all over your neighbor's dog and you should be all right

pyrosama · Jul 17, 2012

Pip H said:
Thank you both for reassurance - I don't think I'll be changing online accounts around then!
I've never thought about online presence as a positive, but now that I think about it, it probably isn't as bad as I was thinking.

I hope this will cheer you up! Over two years ago, I got a call from register.com and they told me that people can find me on the internet! GASP. I was dumbfounded. This post might make you smile.

Privacy on the Internets

dclary · Jul 17, 2012

Just don't be a dick online. Have nothing to be ashamed of and you'll be fine. Your internet history's like your digital credit report. A prospective owner may have questions about one or two items, but if you've been an upstading netizen, you should have nothing to worry about.

If you haven't, well then ha. Serves you right.

/dclary, whose boss in in his FB friends list, parents read his webcomic, and wife who monitors his Twitter feed.

GabrielNovo · Sep 22, 2012

Since you can't really delete stuff I'd recommend putting more "positive" content out there to push down the less desirable links. Blog posts, guest posts, thoughtful comments on popular websites, etc. It's not foolproof, but it can help.

Polenth · Sep 24, 2012

Having no online presence can look suspicious, particular when it becomes clear you do use the internet. It raises the question of why you're apparently hiding everything. What have you done that's so bad? An employer will assume the worst, when all you wanted to hide was your stamp collecting obsession.

The best way to hide anything online is to be very noisy. Make sure the first thing that comes up for your name is the online presence you want employers to see. They're not going to mind that you have hobbies and talk about your pet cat... the issue would be anything that might reflect badly on your morality or your skills, such a discussion of stealing cars when you were a teen (but it was okay because no one caught you), poor spelling and grammar, etc.

Deleting your Online Existence

Pip H

vivalalauren

Richard Falk

Author of "Warp"

Pip H

kohuether

randi.lee

Certified Non-Genius

pyrosama

Pyrosama

dclary

Unabashed Mercenary

GabrielNovo

Cuban Nomad

Polenth

Mushroom