This is Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English.

 

 

 

Let's talk about what happens on the Web. Search engines are constantly scanning it. Their goal is to take a snapshot of every word, picture and video on the web and save it for search results. This means that once a page has been scanned, it may be there forever. Even if the image is deleted from a site, it may still be found in the future - which is when problems can occur.

 

 

 

Think about it this way. If you share videos of yourself or others doing illegal things, or photos that make people look bad, it could seriously harm their reputations. And sometimes it's hard to tell. What seems like a funny photo today, Yay! may look very different to someone who finds it in the future - Boo! By understanding a few things now, you can help avoid problems later.

 

 

 

It starts with what you choose to put on websites. Sharing on the Web can be fun and productive. But it could also cause problems. So, it's up to you to think about the people in the photo or story, including yourself, before you share it. Would you want your grandfather to see this photo? Or a future boss? Once you click, you lose control of who can see the photo on the Web. And no one wants to lose control. This means your friends have to depend on you to take responsibility for the images, stories and videos you share on the Web. 

 

 

 

Luckily, you don't have to share everything publicly. Find ways to share your life privately without having it scanned by search engines. And be careful using people's names - names are easy for search engines to scan.

 

 

 

Another step is asking your friends to think about what they share on the web. Let them know that, from now on, you're going to take responsibility. Talk about the risks and what impact photos could have in the future. Agree to think before you click. This way, you can act goofy today and still have the respect you deserve tomorrow. 

 

 

 

Of course, you can't control everything on the Web. If you feel a photo, story or video could put your reputation at risk, you can take action. Contact the person who posted it and ask them to remove it. Taking action today can make it harder to find in the future.

 

 

 

So the point is, sharing your life online can be fun and productive, but it can also mean losing control. You have a responsibility to help protect your reputation and the reputations of those around you. Think before you click.