Virtual You: Protection Steps for 2010

Virtual you protection steps for 2010 is an article written for those that might be new and or feeling a little overwhelmed by the vast, untamed wilderness, that the internet appears to offer. As you know, e-commerce has to do with the sale of products and services over the Internet; so you may be wondering how a “virtual you” can contribute positively or negatively towards such transactions.

If you’ve played games like IMVU, Second Life, or World of Warcraft then you definitely know the term, virtual you. For others the best way to explain the term “Virtual You,” is that it's the internet version you create of yourself. In the games, players slip into the skin of an avatar and inhabit a virtual world of fantasy and make believe. One can morph (shape or form) into one’s favorite movie star or a combination of more than one individual. You can switch genders, be an animal, or just about whatever you can imagine within these websites. An example of such a virtual world is portrayed by the new Avatar the movie game version below:

Science Daily reports, “One's self-representation, or avatar, in a virtual environment can affect the user's thoughts, according to research by a University of Texas at Austin communication professor.” Research is being conducted by placing participants in anti-social and or negative avatars and evaluating the individuals’ responses.

Studies are demonstrating that such uniform types had negative effects on people’s behaviors in face-to-face interactions as well as in individual writing assignments.According to researchers at Stanford University, how your alter ego appears in the virtual world could affect your behavior in real life.

Brain scans of avid players of some of the fantasy war games are finding that areas of the brain that involve judgment, preservation, and self-reflection seem to behave similarly when someone is thinking about one’s virtual self as to their real one. I think the new Avatar Movie depicts how this could happen very easily. Here's a link to the Avatar Movie website, you can watch the storyline and even download an interactive portion of the movie if you wish.

After being in the virtual world for so long one can see how this may affect your attitude, persona, and e-commerce transactions within real life. Sheila Webber has written and article listing Ten Business uses of Second Life which includes promotion and relationship management, training and professional development, and even recruitment. One might not realize such business transactions were occurring based on a scene such as this example…

O.k. so you say, you are not a gamer, so you will not be spending time in any of the games mentioned; your intentions are to participate in ecommerce only. Well, you should know that you still have a virtual you. Whether you are an author using your own name and picture or you are an author that prefers to use an avatar and an assume name; you have a virtual you to protect.

If you are not an author but participate in Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, or any other social network site you have a virtual you to secure. In other words, if you have an online profile anywhere there are some steps one should take to ensure one’s protection. The intention here is to provide simple, somewhat common sense ideas that will help protect your virtual you or avatar.

Individuals must assume that everything can get on the web; what you say online can come back to haunt you within both personal and professional lifestyles. So choose your words carefully when communicating on the Internet via emails, conversations, blogging, and etc.

One may not initially see that the internet can be a reflection of one’s reputation; especially if you plan only to conduct occasional e-commerce transactions. However, regardless to the number of transactions anyone who interacts on the internet will have a virtual you. In addition, social media websites that allows you to have assumed names, avatars, and interact within forums, compiles information about you and your character deeming it necessary to:

Become attentive and proactive: Some might think that it’s a bit vain to type your name into Google, Bing, or other search engines; however this is a required step towards maintaining your reputation management. Visit the websites, PeekYou.com or Snitch.Name to get a summary of the info about you that exists online. For common names make sure that you include relevant information like your middle initial, maid name, company or hometown to create distinction between you and someone else.

You can attempt to use Google’s URL Removal Tool (must have a Google account to use) to get rid of any links with sensitive private data like your Social Security Number, unlisted phone numbers, etc. However, if you have questions or other concerns it will probably be easier to contact customer service or a webmaster to get direct answers.

After running the search engines and clearing up any mistakes that may already be lurking on the internet with your name. It then becomes important for you to take steps toward owning your own name. In addition, if you choose to take on an assumed name and or an avatar one should begin by researching the name you intend to use online, as well.

One of the best ways to establish your name or an avatar name is to create a Google profile, next you can consider purchasing your own URL domain from GoDaddy.com, or NetworkSolutions.com, or numerous other sites. Also, job-seekers and e-marketers join social-networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn to assist in maintaining a positive reputation online. Websites like Digg, Reddit, and Naymz can assist your e-commerce business by providing valuable feedback from people you’ve worked with, customers, and friends.

One should keep in mind that most interactions that occur on the internet remain there for ages...

• So if you are a job-seeker hoping that the hiring manager doesn’t find those pictures of you being plastered with a rubber chicken,
  
• the fiery opinionated paper full of rants about the establishment you wrote a decade ago,
  
• or your weird avatar and forum comments that you thought no one would find; you might be out of luck.
  

While it is true that search engines tend to rank pages owned by an individual higher than data that is owned by a third party; the information still remains on the web for others with proper security clearance to view. Nonetheless you can start the process of re-establishing a good visual you/avatar via communicating within the social networking sites and other forums.

Do not become a spam bot: While interacting on social media sites if you are a job-seeker or an e-marketer it is important to maintain your reputation and time by not becoming self-absorbed into the virtual you fantasy. E-marketers should be careful to never spam potential customers with too much “buy me” solicitation.

Remember what your goals are and do not loose potential gold mines of a job and or budding business relationships by ranting and raving about social and political issues, or malicious forum bulling that later may be recalled and held against you. Be sure to treat your forum posts, tweets, and status updates as an ongoing conversation that reflects your voice and personality that you want the worldwide web to portray.

The photo to the right is an example of how an inappropriate virtual you might affect one's e-commerce business. The quote taken from the website where the picture was posted states, “The mother of a bunny holding me in it's arms is from the Twisted Hunt. It's kind of cute in a 'perhaps it's not saving me but is taking me away to kill me instead' kind of way. I like bunnies ... they have personality. Well, real life ones do.” Be sure that your avatar or assumed name is not sending the wrong message to potential e-commerce customers.

Here are five things to remember that will assist you having reputable virtual you practice for 2010..

• Don’t write or say things that you will later regret - Kanye West and Taylor Swift
• Never lie or mislead people – Balloon Boy Hoax
• Conducting yourself recklessly or having a secret second life might be revealed – Tiger Woods
• Swindle people out of their money – Bernie Madoff
• Post pictures or create images that you may later regret –Jenna Jameson

To make the listed practices memorable I provided a link example of depicting how the worldwide web can record and reproduce information from one’s past and or present that might affect e-commerce business and or services in the future. It is important to remember that what you do in real life as well as on the Internet becomes a part of your reputation which maybe recorded on the world wide web for all to see.

NOTE: The avatars used are for illustrated opinion only for what might make a hiring manager or a client/customer question hiring or conducting business with someone. The author is not criticizing or intentionally discrediting their use for any reason; by all means remain true to one's self and continue to "Do You," while taking as many steps as you can to maintain your virtual you reputation...