Tools to measure your digital footprint
Okay for everyone who just wants the EMC tool you can download it here.
I’ve heard the term digital footprint used a couple of different ways. Technically speaking, it’s the electronic evidence left online (or on your hard drive) when you use a computer. In social media terms your digital footprint shows up wherever you interact with others, on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, forums…well you understand. We know that creating and managing your personal brand is an important key to professional success. Having a strong digital footprint in the right places is an important part of that brand.
For the technical folks out there, again I want to emphasize I’m talking about a general footprint, not the actual data collected by others when you go to a website or visit a blog. (For a rather paranoid measurement of a technical digital footprint you can use the Discovery channel tool. But be warned it’s a bit scary with all the references to Big Brother and such.)
Of course the easiest way to check is to do a Google search on yourself and any other related terms like your business name. EMC has a tool that asks a long series of detailed questions regarding your use of email, photo uploads, social media and all kinds of activities resulting in a measurement of your digital footprint that goes way beyond what Google will show you. Although it’s a little dated, the post about online data trails is good too.
High school seniors are probably the first to find out the downside of a bad digital footprint. Everyone has heard the stories of kids denied admission to their favorite college because of photos of not so desirable activity on a Facebook page. But beyond digital footprints that you leave “actively” there are passive digital footprints you may now know about. Maybe the worst example was a client of ours who years ago posed as a lingerie model. Since we didn’t know her maiden name we didn’t search for any possible negative stories or photos online. However, just before she was to do a spot on national television we discovered a photographer who was selling these rather suggestive photos of our client as cellphone wallpaper. We averted that disaster but my client ended up putting her PR campaign on hold and paying attorneys quite a bit of money to get the rights back for her photos.
I could go on an on here but instead I’m going to provide you with some great resources as you mull over the idea of reviewing, improving and perhaps (as in the case of my former client) fixing your digital footprint.
- For a simple 8-step plan to manage your digital footprint here’s a great post from TwistImage (has more tool suggestions too)
- A great post on the edublog Transparent Learning provides some government links and a bit of a personal story about this blogger’s attempt to figure out her digital footprint
- For jobseekers or college-bound kids here’s a great blog post on how your digital footprint might impact you
- And if you’re a conspiracy theorist, read this post and then do the Discovery tool and report back how we’re all going to lose every bit of privacy.
As for me, I’m glad to be one of the “people behind the people” – I’m sure there are a few things out there I don’t necessarily want others to see. Although I doubt anyone would care too much about my skeletons in the closet.
Tags: digital footprint, online data trail, online footprint, personal brand, professional success, social media
December 17th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
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May 23rd, 2010 at 7:18 am
Hmmmm this is awesome if it can track every places we visited in the internet somewhat a tracking device using cookies in browsers.
Regards,
Mark
June 17th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Good share on digital footprints. What are the main uses of these foot prints?
June 28th, 2010 at 6:19 am
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July 29th, 2010 at 3:37 am
Good share on digital footprints
August 1st, 2010 at 8:30 pm
thanks for sharing on digital footprints
August 4th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Thank you for posting
September 3rd, 2010 at 2:57 am
Another good thing that is interesting to have is a tool for quickly collect all your digital footprints and estimate the dynamic of your brand recognizability and clients’ loyalty.
November 4th, 2010 at 12:34 am
also work for seo . I build a lot of backlinks . The result is bad. I don’t know why is this .
I shared your view. I hope it will give me help
November 26th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Thank you for this. Up to now I’ve only been Googling myself and my business, but this tool can give a much more thorough overview and also lets me drill down in certain areas. Great work!
February 7th, 2011 at 12:38 am
I cannot agree more. As our children are exposed to using computers from a young age, they should also be taught about the importance of being smart with their web presence because these days, we are encouraged to add a lot of photos, personal info, blogs, etc. onto the internet.
February 7th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Not only that, there are many ‘offline’ tools to help you improve your digital footprints, such as publishing your trails on business cards, in CD or DVD formats, and even brochures and posters. You just need to be creative about it.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:02 am
Thank you for this post, as well as including the link to TwistImage’s 8 steps post. Both of these provided great insight.
March 30th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
I must say, I personally gain more enjoyment from the use of words. Digital footprint. Now, if this is not a new buzz word then I will go jumping. It is snappy and clever. Tools to measure out footprints now this will have many administrators jumping for glee.
April 13th, 2011 at 12:40 am
Digital footprints are always something to consider both in terms of your private life and business. I first became fully aware of the potential problem when I noticed that a couple of people were copying what I did business wise. I was just revealing too much too quickly in either Facebook or Twitter so have scrapped both as I could never pin down which was being used.
May 13th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
first time i am hearing about digital footprint, thanks for sharing on digital footprints
May 27th, 2011 at 3:17 am
Digital footprints are an unmistakable ingredient toward building a successful brand. Perhaps that failed attempt in the form of blogs, webpages and the various social networks may inevitably become a vice to success. “How to build your digital footprint in 8 easy steps” is a good contribution with respect to this topic. On a personal level image, reputation and a sense of identity is built; this should certainly be cross applied to businesses and brands alike. It is a clear reminder that business owners (regardless of specialisms) should make building a desired digital footprint a top priority – especially when it provides a boost toward marketing, sales and an eventually growing client base due to raised awareness.
May 27th, 2011 at 7:47 am
I didn’t the onlince test for the first one and it is quite scary just how much people can be monitored
June 16th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I have heard of the term “carbon footprint” but never “digital footprint”. I wonder if the next concern will be our “digital carbon footprint”!
Anyway, I learned something new. Thanks. And I guess this comment is expanding my digital footprint… 
Scott
October 19th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Yeah, it’s pretty cool to have the internet. Fast information that is a few clicks away, sadly its biggest positive is also one of its biggest negative. Good press spreads out fast, bad press spreads out even faster. So we have to be careful on what we put out there, we may never take it back.
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If you have done nothing wrong, what,s the worry about.
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