NYIT Library Blog

Blogging, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5…. At this point, you either already have a profile (or more than one), or have heard of one or more of these services. Most students do. Even some adults are beginning to keep what you might call a personal online diary. But what do you write, and how do you decide what to include and not include in an online story? According to usability expert Jacob Nielsen, it’s a good policy to keep in mind that you are always writing for your future boss:

Whenever you post anything to the Internet — whether on a weblog, in a discussion group, or even in an email — think about how it will look to a hiring manager in ten years. Once stuff’s out, it’s archived, cached, and indexed in many services that you might never be aware of.

Years from now, someone might consider hiring you for a plum job and take the precaution of ‘nooping you first. (Just taking a stab at what’s next after Google. Rest assured: there will be some super-snooper service that’ll dredge up anything about you that’s ever been bitified.) What will they find in terms of naïvely puerile “analysis” or offendingly nasty flames published under your name?

Think twice before posting. If you don’t want your future boss to read it, don’t post. (Read more).