Mr Coates's
Website
"Everything you post online combines to make your digital footprint. Remember that what you share with your friends may also be viewed by people you don’t know. And once it’s online, it could be there forever. So think before you post."
- Cybersmart
Any website you visit, any comment you leave on various websites leaves traces of what we call our digital footprint. Digital footprints are generally permanent. The Alannah and Madelline Foundation contains an informative PDF on the complications surrounding your digital footprint the biggest being that they are generally permant and very hard to erase. Even if you delete a comment you posted on a website for example Youtube. Someone else may have saved the comment before you deleted it and even then the website would have it stored in its archives so think before you speak!
Online Prescence
Your digital footprint also creates your online prescence or image. People can figure out for example what interests you by the pages you visit or the music you listen to online but also what comments you post create this image of you depending on how you interact with others. The internet is a great place for everyone to come together to post and share ideas or views but sometimes people forget there is another human behind the screen. The website raisingchildren.net.au has a page dedicated with tips on how to be a safe and responsible cybercitizen linked here.
Credibility
The internet is a wonderful place where anyone can gain access to information with a few simple searches and clicks. The only issue with the abundance of information available is filtering out what is credible information and what information is unreliable. There are general guidelines and tips availiable for helping you figure out if a website is credible. Most universities have some guide on their website like this one from the University of Wisconsin. Another great tool is the PDF file created by Kaity Schrock titled 'The 5W's of Web Site Evaluation'.