NMI Warns That What You Do Online May Follow You for the Rest of Your Life

Human resources professionals around the world can monitor what current and potential employees are doing and have done online.  According to the New Media Institute (NMI), both children and adults need to realize that what they do online could impact their future.

“What you post online is fair game for potential employers and university admissions representatives.  With the rise in popularity of social networking sites, people simply need to be educated,” explains John Spagnuolo, President of the New Media Institute.

More than half (55%) of all of online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites like MySpace or FaceBook, according to a recent national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

“What is terrifying is that what you post online, is posted with indelible ink.  Even if you delete your profile or web site, a record may still exist and can be searched,” warned Spagnuolo.

The New Media Institute offers tips for parents and adults:

Tips for Parents

• Keep close tabs on your child’s online activity.
  
  
• Make sure your child never posts their full name or other identifiable information, such as where they go to school.
  
  
• Prevent your child from posting “non-professional” content online.  Admissions departments in universities can search the Web when deciding whether to accept your child into school.

Tips for Adults

• Never post anything online that you don’t want the entire world to see.
  
  
• Refrain from posting your full name.
  
  
• Never mention your employer in any profile.  Many companies hire services that monitor the web for their company name.

The mission of the New York-based New Media Institute is to educate the public on issues surrounding the Internet and other forms of new media.  Additional information can be found on http://www.newmedia.org