Protecting Your Online Reputation

These last few weeks I’ve been blogging about the power of words. You no doubt have experienced how careless and cruel words hurt others and tear apart the closest of friends. Unfortunately, words have the power to even destroy someone’s reputation.

A blogger wrote: “All my life I have been talked and gossiped about, and still am, behind my back. I just ignore them and walk away but sometimes I wonder what is the problem with me and what have I done to deserve being talked badly about.”

Even though no one can have complete control over what others say or think about them, it is possible to do some things that can protect your reputation, and possibly prevent people from gossiping about you.

The very best thing you can do to protect your reputation is to manage your online presence.

The Internet, in particular, has the potential to define the reputation of a person for good or bad—what people see or read about you online influences their opinion of you. So the very best thing you can do to protect your reputation is to manage your online presence.

How can you do that?

Take down anything that it is inappropriate online and put up what you would like others to know about you.

For example…

Nothing on the Internet or sent through phones is truly private, it can all be traced.

• Don’t post inappropriate or sexual comments or photos on facebook or myspace. Whatever you post on the web is painting a picture of who you are. You never know who is going to see something you post on the web. What might seem like an inside joke between you and a good friend can be misinterpreted by someone on the outside, including potential future employers. Information online is often permanent and searchable.
  
• Don’t post music, lyrics or images that are violent, sexual, or drug-related. While you may know you don’t do drugs, or that you’re not violent, someone who doesn’t know you might find it easy to think you are—they might not get the joke.
  
• Don’t use email addresses with sexual overtones, and don’t send sexual texts or photos through your phone or email. You might think you’re only sending it to one person, but you never can know for sure who they will think should see it. Nothing on the Internet or sent through phones is truly private, it can all be traced. And remember, everything you do online is sending a message to others about who you are.
  
  Cierra said: “If you want to protect your reputation you have to think about if I do this just once, do I want people knowing about it or thinking of me in this way? I know you shouldn't care about what others think, but there are times when it's okay to.”

• Why do so many people have suicidal thoughts?
• Have you ever considered committing suicide? Why?
• What stopped you from going through with your plans?
• Have you ever had a friend commit suicide? How did that affect you?

To respond to Dawson's Blog, enter your message below:

Monday, Feb 8, 2010 - 2:50:25 AM
Some people have suicidal thoughts because they want to escape the isolation, pain and rejection from the environment surrounding them. Others simply feel they have reached a state of loneliness and depression in their lives to the point where their thoughts become so negative, they can't find any other reason to live. They would rather not confront it because of the fear of hurt that comes along with it than confront it to rebuild their lives. I have never tried to commit suicide, but people at my school have tried and almost succeeded. It is very sad thing that some go through and how they are so afraid they feel as if there is no other way to break away from the pain and sometimes guilt that accompanies it. I feel that when you go through times of depression and think about committing suicide, God is there by your side. He will not abandon you. It is only a matter of whether you reach out to him through prayer that you will be free from these thoughts.
- Jordyn

Monday, Feb 8, 2010 - 1:59:19 AM
Dawsonn(: Could you do a blog on trust? I have alot of problems with that.. I never know who to trust & I always trust the wrong people. Help mee pleassee!
- Ashleigh

Sunday, Feb 7, 2010 - 11:49:18 PM
Well, I think there's a difference between people who REALLY have suicidal thoughts and people who just want attention . There was this girl at my old school, and she had everything in the world, anything anyone could ever want . She was popular, all the guys liked her, she had all the expensive name brand clothes, everyone wanted to be friends with her etc., she was nice to people but she didn't mean it ; she only did it to make her reputation better . Anyway, last year people called me emo for the way I dressed . Almost everyone at my old school dressed scene, but for some reason I was the only "emo" one , maybe because I stuck out and talked about how much my life sucked.. but now I realized that there are people in the world that would do anything to be me.. to have a place to sleep, food to eat, etc. Anyway, this girl started cutting for attention, and she even admitted it and came to me and told me about it . She thought she was being cool and fitting in. The cuts were disgusting and they almost made me faint . She showed them to everyone . In the end, she ended up going to the school councilor, and told her that she cutted to make herself feel special and noticed . I do think of suicide, but every time I stop and think, hey, there's someone out there that would do ANYTHING to have a warm bed, a place to sleep, and nice food to eat, and suddenly my life isn't so suckish anymore . Cutting/suicide I think for young teens is just their way of thriving for attention when they don't get attention at school or from their parents , and I don't think the real people who think about suicide are crazy . It's okay to think your life is going horribly sometimes, but you always have to be thankful for what you have . Just think of the positives :] Anyway, this is becoming a really long paragraph, your show and blogs are inspiring, thanks, bye :]
- Amy

Sunday, Feb 7, 2010 - 10:09:47 PM
I love Dawson he's so inspiraional and just great as a person. -Mike H.
- Mike h.

Saturday, Feb 6, 2010 - 11:01:05 PM
Thank you for finally bringing up the topic of suicide. I have considered suicide many times in my life. I am bipolar and when I get really depressed I want to kill myself. Life also becomes overwhelming with school and things going on at home. I was going to try to kill myself once but my parenst found a note and I was then put in a mental hospital.
- jess

Saturday, Feb 6, 2010 - 2:37:39 AM
Suicide is a rough term for saying "giving up". People kill themselves because they believe that life simply isn't worth the struggle. Although this has occurred through history due to stuff like debt, alcohol, or drugs, I feel that today it's for totally different reasons (for the most part). I mean, usually the people you hear that commit suicide tend to be quiet, collective, you never see it coming. However it's because nobody has stayed around them long enough that they probably committed suicide in the first place. From what I've seen a lot of teens kill themselves simply out of being lonely, never understood, and they feel that killing themselves will either... 1) End their grief or 2) Teach everyone else a lesson Sadly, not a lot of us learn the lessons we could learn when someone we know commits suicide. We need to find ways among ourselves to prevent it from happening, not just leave it to "experts" or therapists.
- Roiselyn