What's Your Virtual Identity Like?

I’ve been hearing for years about how you should take care as to what you associate with yourself on the internet.  With the advent of the “real names” push from Google+ and Facebook, I think it’s gotten more important.

Who wants someone to look into them online for whatever reason, maybe it’s a potential employer, or just someone who wants to get to know you better, and have them find all kinds of embarrassing things.  Many of us have posted compromising pictures, or shared them with friends, or lovers.  Lovers and friends might not always be that to you, and your pictures are in their hands. 

How about postings on blogs; expressing far out views, or very conservative views.  Actually both could get you in trouble, depending on who is looking at your stuff, and why. 

Ever had a flame war with a troll on a message board?  That stuff is out there, somewhere in the ether.  I am told that it never totally goes away.  Just look at the people on the Geocities archive project.  They are working to save all the old Geocities sites, so that someday we can all look back on them. 

It’s out there, man.

I’ve heard some other opinions though, they point out that in the future, as most people grow up with the internet; everyone will have stuff out there.  Embarrassing and otherwise.  So actually, those that do not have anything ‘colorful’ out there on the internet will stick out as unusual.  This could actually make people think you have something to hide.  Where are all the blog posts, YouTube videos, party pictures, etc.

Something to think about.

Further, are we the sum of our internet selves?  Does our Facebook page really define us?  Or MySpace, Google+, and on.  Does our wish list on Amazon.com say something meaningful about us?  Or is that just stuff we wouldn’t mind having?  Strange questions for strange times.

What if someone could see everything you do online?  Do you play Second Life?  World of Warcraft?  Starcraft?  Do you love to read conspiracy websites, and go to Snopes.com all the time?  Too much time on Perez Hilton’s gossip site? 

I’m inclined to think that we are more than all that.  People who infer direct things about us from all that crap, are a little misguided.  I know that my internet peccadilloes would horrify lots of people.  But the good news, is that I’m starting not to care.  Yes, what I do on the internet, including this blog and my poetry project, show a little of what I care about, and am interested in.  But to get the whole picture, you need to get to know me. 

Nothing here shows what kind of an employee I am, how much I really know, or if I am dependable.  Whether I’m a good person or not, or trustworthy.

Sure, things could be inferred, but to know for sure; the virtual me, just wouldn’t be enough.

Cheers