Social Media impact on Talkwalker recruitment market A social media search and Effect on jobseeker alert system Digital Identity Mentoring InterPAIRS for Employment issue 1, volume 2 [EN]

JOB SEEKING ONLINE

Modern Ways to Job Search EGO SURFING OR SMART SELF-DEFENSE Employers do not want to hire “problems”

The mentoring relationship is a two way process which potentially benefits both mentee and men- | to subscribe to this manual, please contacttor us atas [email protected] they learn from | eachhttp://www.digital-identity-project.eu/ other. English Edition 3. CONTENTS Job seeking online Candidates view and Modern Ways to Job Search

4. Modern ways to job search In the market for a new job? Checking out career opportuni- ties in your field?

7. Social networks and job searches: pros and cons. This information can be applied to any situation where reputation matters. digital

9. How has social media identity impacted the recruitment market EDITORIAL TEAM What effect those that have on Sonsoles Jimenez the jobseeker. Fernando Coelho Alberto Brochado 10. Job search PROOFREADERS Despina Kanellopoulou By Digital Mentors (Portugal) Murat Sungu Miguel Mares 13. Marc Malfroidt The Age of and Maria Ruiz Social Media

13. EGO Surfing This project has been funded with How to perform that Daily Ritual support from the European Com- mission. This web site reflects the 14. views only of the author, and the Guide to Defensive Commission cannot be held re- Googling sponsible for any use which may be made of the information con- tained therein. 17. Talkwalker Copyright © 2014 A review of a new, free social media monitoring tool

2 | digital identity - Second Edition A CANDIDATES’ VIEW OF JOB JOB SEEKING SEEKING ONLINE ONLINE In a time of economic unrest, it can be difficult for anyone to find a job, es- pecially a graduate. Jobs are few and far between and competition is fierce so how do you ensure that you find that perfect job? Well here we look at how to job seek online and some basics that you have to cover to make sure the job is right for you, and you’re right for the job!

The most common way of search- essential that you search for jobs 3 - Match the essential requirements ing for a job online is to use a job regularly to make sure that you don’t – on most job adverts, the employer search website like TotalJobs or miss the perfect job for you or the ap- will have provided a list of essential Monster. Both of these, and other plication deadline. A daily search will requirements. These are things that similar job search websites, pro- make sure that you pick up new jobs any applicant needs to match. Care- vide a medium for employers to immediately and have the chance to fully check the essential requirements advertise jobs and for potential put in your application before the against your own qualifications, skill candidates to apply. To get the competition. set and experience to make sure that most out of these websites, you you meet the criteria. If you don’t need to follow these tips: 2 - Subscribe to job alerts – don’t just match them, it probably isn’t worth rely on your ability to search for a job applying as these will be qualities 1 - Search often – employers don’t online. Most online job search web- that are essential for doing the job. have a specific day of the week sites will have a job alert email facil- that they are likely to advertise a ity. After entering your chosen job re- 4 - Match the desirable attributes – job. As soon as they have com- quirements, you will then be emailed as well as a list of essential require- pleted all the paperwork and the as soon as matching jobs are posted. ments, a job advert is also likely to job becomes available for ap- Again this can help you apply before have some desirable attributes too. plicants, they will post it onto a others and make sure you don’t miss These are qualities that the employer job search website. It’s therefore any jobs being advertised. is ideally looking for but not essential

Second Edition - digital identity | 3 for the job. Again carefully check the 6 - Be flexible – in highly competitive list and consider your own circum- times, you need to be flexible about stances and experience. If you meet what job you apply for. If a job is in a any of the desirable criteria, you are field you want to work in but not in in a good position to apply for the job. the exact role, consider applying any- way as it may be a stepping stone to 5 - Find fields of experience – as a your desired job. Also consider mov- graduate, it can be difficult to com- ing areas in order to find your dream pete in the job arena without much job or alter your expectations of work- experience. However when looking ing hours. for a job using an online job search website, try to tailor your experience 7 - Consider the salary – as a gradu- to meet the experience required. Al- ate you might be desperate for work though you may have only had a pa- but before applying for a job consider per round before, it shows that you what salary is being offered, Is the are a hard worker and punctual. If salary fair for the hours you will be you’ve worked in your father’s of- expected to work? Does it take into fice, you might be able to show that account your experience and more you are a team player or have basic importantly is it enough to live off? admin skills. Tailor what is required Very few companies will appreciate from the employer with what you’ve been exposed to in a part-time job or HTTP://WWW.TALENETIC.COM/A-CANDIDATES- whilst studying.

MODERN WAYS TO JOB SEARCH

In the market for a new job? Checking out career opportunities in your field?

If you’re thinking about being competitive, make sure you’re in tune with what’s happening to the employment land- scape. Paper applications pretty much have become extinct as social network sites like Linked-In and online job searching tools like Monster, Careerbuilder, and BranchOut increase in popularity. These web-based job pools are being accessed by a wide range of new graduates, whether technical school students, online school students, or campus-based undergrads. Make sure you don’t miss out. Your next job could be just a couple of clicks away. ONLINE CVs ARE ESSENTIAL IN YOUR JOB SEARCH Don’t limit your opportunities. Savvy candidates are building their visibility and presenting résumés to recruiters via the

Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly sourcing (and checking) candidates online. The report, What Employ- ers Look Up on Social Media Sites, found that employers are interested in previous work history, recommendations and information such as personal interests.

4 | digital identity - Second Edition Second Edition - digital identity | 5 Improve your chances by providing this information on- CV line. In the recent Guardian careers podcast, Julian Linley explained how he expects to see a digital CV, providing A creative idea from JobMob which uses the new links to examples of work or projects. home page layout (with your profile photo on the left and the five tagged photos across the top) as CV sec- LINKEDIN PROFILE tions.

On LinkedIn you only have one version, so it must ap- CV peal to different readers (recruiters, peers and employers) and be appropriate for both networking and job searching. Upload your print CV to display as your Twitter back- Don’t just copy and paste your paper CV, but give a big- ground with www.twitres.com (Tip from the Career ger picture of your strengths, interests, and professional Thought Leaders white paper). activity. LinkedIn profiles are far more dynamic than traditional VISUAL CV CVs. Various applications let you add blogposts, a portfo- lio and presentations, and upload files (such as your CV). Embed audio, video, graphs and Powerpoint files on Keep your profile active with status updates and tweets your own page. You can then send the link to contacts, (adding the #in hashtag displays tweets in your profile). potential employers and so on. Highlight your professional reputation through adding recommendations and connections, and joining relevant VIDEO CV groups. Include a professional photo, and feel free to add personal interests. Not appropriate for all sectors, but if done profession- Treat your profile as a networking tool to stop your boss ally, a video presentation can get results. You can create assuming you’re planning to leave. a webcam clip, hosting it with your CV, on a site such as “As long as you don’t write ‘looking for a job’ in your Meet the real me. profile, it would be hard for your boss to accuse you of But even a brief clip uploaded to YouTube can help job-hunting on the sly... Join industry groups, and take with remote networking or a job search. Send the link part in the group discussions. Build your profile, connect- in a speculative email if you’re currently unavailable to ing with people you know both inside and outside of your meet in person. job.” Make the clip interesting. Don’t read out your CV While traditional CVs are concise, your LinkedIn profile or use bland cliches. Be specific about what you offer can contain paragraphs and full sentences. Using the first- the company, or tell a relevant story to exemplify a person (as in “I specialise in” rather than “Specialist in”) strength or personal quality. adds a more personal tone. If you’re job-hunting, optimise your profile for key- words – the job titles, areas of expertise, and terms typi- cally found in your target job descriptions. The specialities section of your summary is ideal for listing your profes- sional skills. TIPS FOR ONLINE CVS GOOGLE PROFILE Use your paper CV as the basis for your online pro- Use your Google account to create a profile: uploading a files, but include links or fresh information. photo, adding links (such as to your LinkedIn profile) and writing a page that serves as a CV; with an introduction, Be consistent. Make sure that employer information your current occupation, employment history and so on. and dates match. Both a LinkedIn and a Google profile rate high when your name is Googled, helping to push down any negative Update your profiles regularly. information about you.

http://careers.theguardian.com/guide-to-online-cvs

6 | digital identity - Second Edition SOCIAL NETWORKS AND JOB SEARCHES: PROS AND CONS https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social#job-searches

Jobseekers have increasingly turned to •Applying for colleges or scholar- formation about education, employ- social networks to market themselves ships ment history and accomplishments to potential employers, network with •Being considered in a jury selec- to a large number of people. There other professionals and search out job tion process are also professional or interest opportunities. However, an unprofes- groups on a variety of networks that sional social networking profile may How Social Networks May Assist can increase visibility and contacts. also make a job applicant seem unsuit- Jobseekers able by revealing too much personal or How Social Networks May Hin- unflattering information to a potential There are a variety of ways social der Jobseekers employer. This section reviews the pros networks can help with the job hunt. and cons of social networking for job- If a job applicant initially contacts a Social networks may inadvertently seekers. potential employer via the Internet, a reveal information jobseekers might profile on a social network can help not choose to reveal about them- This information can be applied to any situ- confirm that there is a real person selves. Potential employers often ation where reputation matters, such as: behind an email address. use whatever information they can gather about an applicant in making • Renting an apartment Social networks also increase net- a hiring decision. It is important to • Beginning to date someone working opportunities. A job appli- know what information can be seen • Starting or maintaining a profes- cant can alert others to an interest by non-contacts and to consider sional relationship, for example as an in finding a job, as well as details what kind of conclusions might be independent contractor or in a mana- on the desired position, by posting drawn from it. gerial position about this interest on a social net- • Engaging in volunteer or electoral work. Professional networks, such as Unflattering pictures or posts could positions LinkedIn, are designed to provide in- seriously affect the likelihood of get-

Second Edition - digital identity | 7 ting hired. Even if one posts this • Age Many companies have social media information using restrictive priva- • Gender policies that limit what you can and cy settings, there are many ways • Race cannot post on social networking in which it may become available. • Disability sites about your employer. A web- • Sexual orientation site called Compliance Building has a As a general rule, before posting • Political affiliations database of social media policies for something on a social networking • Other groups and contacts hundreds of companies. You should profile, imagine it displayed on a ask your supervisor or human re- billboard on the side of a highway. Also, negative posts about a current sources department what the policy Would you be uncomfortable to job could harm an applicant’s chanc- is for your company. see it there? If so, you may not es of getting an offer. want to post it at all. How Social Media Networks Can While it is illegal and very hard to Get You Fired prove, potential employers might discriminate based on information Employers are increasingly monitor- available from profile pictures and ing what employees post on social other easily available information networking sites. In fact, many com- on one’s social networking profile. panies have social media policies that Be aware of revealing even basic limit what you can and cannot post https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking- information such as: on social networking sites about your privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social#job-searches employer.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanmeyers/3598159727/

8 | digital identity - Second Edition How has social media impacted the recruitment market – and what effect does that have on you the jobseeker

IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slightlyeverything/8214124711

LET SPELL OUT THE FOUR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES THAT HAVE HIT THE JOBS MARKET AND HOW YOU CAN ADAPT TO EACH TO POSITION YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS IN TODAY’S JOBS MARKET

Change #1: Social Media has house recruiting have been flattened. gives recruiters a whole new empowered employers to build insight into your strengths and their own in-house recruitment The key action point for you as a weaknesses as a candidate practices candidate is that you must make sure you have a profile on the leading Referral recruiting is something that Change #2: Social Media has social networking sites; you must has been particularly impacted by made it possible for recruiters make sure this has been optimised so social networking sites. Given the to engage with candidates in that you appear strongly in relevant choice, employers would ideally make powerful new ways search results; and that it’s been well all their hires via referral channels. crafted to convert recruiter views of Experience shows that those employers The main thing standing in the way of your profile into firm job interview hired through referrral channels are employers doing more recruiting in- interest. more likely to be a fit for the company house has historically been their lack long term. They typically join the of access to an extensive candidate more guidance on this aspect of job hunting business faster (so hiring time is database. effectiveness, see this article on LinkedIn job reduced) and stay with the business search strategies. longer (so hiring costs are reduced), a Social media like LinkedIn, Google+ and (http://www.social-hire.com/career-- combination that is hard to argue with. Twitter have given employers a database interview-advice/901/3-things-you-can-do- every bit as powerful as those that tonight-to-accelerate-your-job-search-on- Conclusion: were historically the preserve of only linkedin) the leading headhunting businesses With the overwhelming majority and recruitment agencies. They’ve also Change #3: Social Media has of employers now including social given recruiters a means of contacting opened up the possibility of recruiting as part of their recruitment candidates that doesn’t involve hiring far more staff through strategy, it’s essential for the modern “unpleasant” cold-calling. So in just referral channels job seeker to adapt their job search a few years, the main impediments to skills accordingly. employers doing more of their own in- Change #4: Social Media

Second Edition - digital identity | 9 10 | digital identity - Second Edition Second receive jobopportunities profile makesyou40timesmore likelyto your page, the better ◦Having a complete employers, canview. mé thatyourcontacts,includingpotential dIn profile provides avisible,onlinerésu expand yourpersonalnetwork.Your Linke largest opportunitytomarketyourselfand sionals connect.Thisplatformprovides the networking sitewhere millionsofprofes and industries.To doso,whynoruse... job search. You canresearch companies tion andconnectionsthatare vitaltoyour Te oe nomto yu ae on have you information more The • Have acompleteandrobust profile LinkedIn isabusiness-orientedsocial LinkedIn Social mediacanprovide youinforma HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE SOCIAL MEDIA IN YOUR JOB SEARCH BY DIGITAL MENTORS - PORTUGAL

- - - - HTTP://MGT.BUFFALO.EDU/CAREER/STUDENTS/NETWORKING/SOCIALMEDIA/USINGSM SE TENS DÚVIDAS E SE NÃO SABES O QUE FAZER, COLOCA AS TUAS QUESTÕES AOS VÁRIOS MENTORES DIGITAIS QUE TE PODERÃO RESPOND- ER E ACONSELHAR SOBRE QUE ME- DIDAS DEVES ADOTAR, O QUE PODES OU NÃO FAZER, O QUE DEVES OU NÃO PUBLICAR. ESTE GABINETE DE ACONSELHAMEN- TO INSERE-SE NO ÂMBITO DAS ATIVI- DADES DO PROJETO “DIGITAL MEN- TORS”. SIGAM-NOS EM:

HTTP://WWW.DIGITAL-IDENTITY-PROJECT.EU/

• A potential employer or contact will your network a week ferent categories. You can also see look at your page once and, if there is no • When making a new connection, how you are linked to the person useful information on it, they may never remind the individual of how you know who posted the job opening look again each other • Follow companies and indus- • nclude major accomplishments, expe- • Quality is more important than tries you are interested in riences, education, skills, honors and any quantity. You want a large network, but • Research your recruiters or in- other professional achievements you would don’t invite strangers or people you terviewers through their LinkedIn include on a résumé or in an interview vaguely know and do not be offended pages • Use a picture of you in a business suit if those people deny your requests for your profile image • Respond to requests promptly, Facebook and Twitter • Be sure everything you do on LinkedIn within 24 hours if possible is professional and appropriate. Remember • Join LinkedIn groups that align Facebook and Twitter can be that potential employers will be seeing it with your professional interests . just as effective in your job search These include alumni groups, trade as- as Linked In. These two platforms Request recommendations from your sociations and organizations you are a are traditionally used more social- previous supervisors and co-workers member of. ly than professionally, so it is very ◦- Unless you have a personal con- important to be aware of your on- • Ask for social media recommendations nection with group members, avoid line presence and the image you as you would a regular recommendation. sending them direct messages are projecting. Ask in person, professionally, before send- ◦- Add value to discussions ◾ • More and more companies are ing the generic form - Share your observations or post using Facebook and Twitter for re- • Only write recommendations for people a link to a relevant news article cruiting and hiring ◦Like and Fol- that you know well and can honestly recom- ◾- Be sure to read and respond to low companies you are interested mend what other people are saying in. Retweet or share interesting posts by these companies Grow your network ◦You can ask members of your net- work to introduce you to one of their • If you have a professional • Start making connections as soon as contacts ◾This can help you establish interest or area of expertise, be- your profile is complete great connections come a go-to person in that area. • Import your address book to add people ◾ Create a , focus your tweets you know Using LinkedIn to Search for a Job on that subject or, post interest- • Connect to friends, family, alumni and ing articles on your LinkedIn and both past and present colleagues and su- • LinkedIn Jobs suggests open posi- Facebook pages. pervisors tions that align with your interests and • Try to add at least one new person to allows you to search jobs based on dif-

Second Edition - digital identity | 11 THE RISE OF VIDEO INTERVIEWS

WWW.BRIGHTONSBM.COM

Brighton School of Business and Management

12 | digital identity First Edition THE AGE OF GOOGLE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE AND SOCIAL MEDIA, CAUTION IS REQUIRED – MORE CAUTION THAN MANY PEOPLE ARE USING. IT’S NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S INTERNET ANY MORE! TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE AWARE OF IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE AND SOCIAL MEDIA:

1.) MOST OF WHAT IS CONTRIBUTED ONLINE IN SO- Ego Surfing: How CIAL NETWORKS LIKE LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, AND TWITTER IS VISIBLE TO THE WORLD. to Perform That 2.) THAT WORLD INCLUDES BOTH CURRENT EMPLOY- ERS AND CO-WORKERS AS WELL AS RECRUITERS AND PO- TENTIAL EMPLOYERS – PEOPLE YOU PROBABLY WANT TO Daily Ritual of IMPRESS (POSITIVELY).

WHENEVER YOU MAKE A COMMENT ONLINE, PRETEND Googling Your YOUR MOTHER, YOUR CURRENT BOSS (IF YOU HAVE A JOB), OR A RECRUITER FOR YOUR “IDEAL” EMPLOYER IS LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER AND READING WHAT Name YOU WROTE. BECAUSE IN OUR CURRENT REAL/VIRTUAL REALITY WORLD, THEY MAY BE. Ego-surfing, or searching for occurrences of your own name or your company’s name on Google and other web YOU ARE BEING WATCHED! AND JUDGED! search engines, is a common activity among most web us- ers. Yes, you ARE being watched! What you write (or say) online “can be used against you” in the court of public And ego-surfing (or self-googling) is not always about the opinion or in the privacy of an employer’s or a recruiter’s ego – it helps you track conversations on the Internet that office. Yet, it appears that too many people are not aware are related to you or your company and you could gather that what they do online, in the “privacy” of their social some good feedback which would otherwise go unnoticed. media accounts, is often very widely visible. This quick guide on “googling yourself” touches both This wide visibility can help or hurt both their careers and websites that are without feeds. and their job hunting. In this post, we’ll explore how people may be hurt by what they post. (In the next post, Blogs and Websites with RSS Feeds: we’ll see how they may be helped.) It is extremely easy to discover reactions to your name People often assume that if they don’t receive negative on blogs in real time because they all provide RSS feeds – feedback about their behavior, that everything is fine, that just type your name in any blog (like Google, no problem exists for them. Unfortunately, not true. Technorati or Ask.com) and subscribe to the feed of the search results in your news reader to get notified automati- BE AWARE!

First Edition digital identity | 13 cally whenever there’s a discussion that refers your name.

Websites without RSS Feeds: GUIDE TO There’s a vast universe outside blogs as well that in- cludes regular websites, personal homepages, social net- DEFENSIVE works, message boards, mailings lists and more. The only way to track your name in such places is GOOGLING through Google web search but unlike blog search, Google won’t let you sort results by date and there are no RSS feeds in search results. ACCORDING TO A MICROSOFT REPUTATION STUDY, WHILE ONLY 30% OF JOB SEEKERS WORRY ABOUT No worries, here’s how to automate that daily ritual of THEIR ONLINE REPUTATIONS, 70% OF RECRUITERS ego-surfing on Google. IN THE USA HAVE REJECTED AN APPLICANT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY FOUND ONLINE… Step 1: Goto Google Advanced Search and select “past WITHOUT KNOWING FOR SURE THAT IT WAS THE 24 hours” in the date field. This will filter all web pages JOB SEEKER THEY FOUND. THE NAMES WERE THE from Google search results that were indexed more than SAME, AND THAT WAS ENOUGH “PROOF.” 24 hours ago. So, even though you may be leading a blameless life, Step 2: Type your names enclosed in quotes in the avoiding Facebook and other social media, and feel you search box – also include any common misspellings sepa- have no reason to worry about what is online about you, rated by the OR operator. (e.g. – “amit agarwal” OR “amit you could well be wrong. aggarwal” OR “amith agarwal”). Hit Enter. The actions of someone else – who has the same Step 3: Copy the Google URL in the address bar and name you have – could be sabotaging your job search. paste that into the search box at Page2RSS.com. This will create an RSS feed of your search results that you can Recruiters who Google the name you put on their ap- subscribe via email or in any news reader. plication or in your resume will be unaware that the “bad” person Google showed them is not you. Result: You will no longer have to type your name in Google opportunity lost! Perhaps, many opportunities… every morning – if there’s a new web page that mentions your own name or your company’s name, it will be pushed Mistaken Online Identity Is a Major Is- to your inbox (or RSS reader) automatically. sue – Defensive Googling Is the Solution

Since the best defense is a good offense, find out what is available online related to your name. If you don’t know about it, you won’t be able to address it. When you do know about it, you can differentiate your- self from the individual(s) with the problem.

1. Search Google (and Bing) on the name(s) you have been using in your resumes, job applications, and other job search documents.

You need to know if someone who has the same name you have is causing you a problem in your job search to avoid using that version of your name.

To search - Type the name you usually use on your resume into a Google (or Bing) search bar with quota-

14 | digital identity - Second Edition tion marks around it, like this: first page or the second page, pay close Online Reputation Manage- attention. Monitor that entry. You need ment Is the New Reality “First name Last name” to find a version of your name without something bad associated with it. This is NOT “vanity Googling.” This is Enclosing your name within quota- “defensive Googling” – enlightened 21st tion marks tells Google and Bing that 3. Continue to search using different century self-defense! you want those words in a phrase, variations of your name until you find a side-by-side. Otherwise, the search “clean” version. engines will show you results where those two words appear anywhere on A clean version of your name doesn’t the same webpage, regardless of how have anything negative – from anyone Job Search Tutorial far apart or unrelated in context. – associated with it, but it is still your real name. Check all the versions of Job Search Tutorial Home If you typically include your middle your name you can think of – with your initial, middle name, or some other middle name or middle initial, etc. Part 1: Starting Your Online Job Search configuration, search for that version ◾Step 1: Get Help with Your Job Search of your name. 4. Use the clean version of your name ◾Step 2: Decide What Job(s) You Want for your job search. 2A: Start a Career Change 2. Carefully study the first 10 pages ◾Step 3: Determine Your Online of search results. Pick one, clean version of your name, Reputation and use it consistently for your job ◾Step 4: Manage Your Online Look for anything negative that an search. Reputation employer would see associated with ◾- Resume ◾Step 5: Manage Your Personal your name (even if it is NOT about you). ◾- Cover Letters Communications ◾- Email address ◾Step 6: Prepare Your Resume and This could include photos and vid- ◾- Email signature Profiles eos as well as standard web pages, ◾- LinkedIn Profile ◾Step 7: Shop for Your Next Employer blog posts, comments on blog posts, ◾- Business/networking cards news items, public records (like court ◾- Job applications Part 2: Implementing Your Online Job dockets), and other information readily ◾- Anything else related to job Search available online. search ◾Step 1: Implement Your Job Search ◾Step 2: Find Jobs Online If you find something inappropriate Keep everything “in sync” particu- ◾Step 3: Keep Track of Your Job Search associated with your name – something larly in relation to your LinkedIn Profile. ◾Step 4: Stand Out From the Crowd that would make an employer put your ◾Step 5: Tap the Hidden Job Market resume in the “reject” pile rather than 5. Set up a Google Alert on all versions the “possible” pile – you have a poten- of your name, including the “clean” ver- More Information: tial problem. sion. Online Job Search Guide http://www.job-hunt.org/starting.shtml The problem could be someone with Keep track of what is happening to your name who has been arrested for your clean name in case someone else drunk driving, posted inappropriate using that name does something that photos of themselves in social media, makes it unusable. been accused of being a tax cheat, con- tributed racist, sexist, or other nasty Google Alerts are free and will notify “*ist” comments on blogs, or hundreds you when something new associated of other things. with the name appears in Google search results. If that entry is on the 8th page, and moving down toward the 9th, it may not be a big issue. But if it is on the

Second Edition - digital identity | 15 GOOGLING YOURSELF IS NOT ALWAYS “EGO SURFING”!

GOOGLING YOURSELF IS SMART SELF-DEFENSE

Think how many times in a day or a week you Google something – maybe to find the definition of a word, check the news or the TV listings for the next day. blogging and web-hosting services”.

AND – to check out reviews of a product or service you are thinking of buying. Further reading about these topics.... Which is exactly what a potential employer does when they are thinking of hiring someone. They Google (and/ - Dent, P. (2000). ‘Ego-Surfing’ derides valid, prudent activity. Online or Bing and/or Yahoo!) that person’s name to see what Journalism Review. Located at: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/ethics/1017964102. they find about the person before they waste anymore php valuable time on that candidate. - Drife, J.O. (1999). Egosurfing. British Medical Journal, 318, 203. - Gordon, B. (2012). Google and be damned. Daily Telegraph, February So, if you are applying for jobs – or, even if you are 29. Located at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/9111193/ just thinking about applying for jobs – you need to know Google-and-be-damned.html what Google shows a potential employer when they - Lehman, J. (2004). From the editors. Feminist Collections: A Quarterly Google you. And, to be smart, you should check Bing of Women’s Studies Resources, 26, ii. and Yahoo, too. - Nicolai, T. Kirchhoff, L., Bruns, A., Wilson, J. & Barry Saunders, B. (2008). Google Yourself! Measuring the performance of personalized infor- Googling yourself is just another variation of seeing how mation resources. Proceedings Association of Internet Researchers 2008: you have been cited and there is anything wrong with it. Internet Research 9.0: Rethinking Community, Rethinking Place, Copen- According to the entry on Wikipedia: hagen, Denmark. Located at: http://en.scientificcommons.org/31968134 - Noyes, K. (2007). Pew study: Self-Googling on the rise. Tech News “Egosurfing (also referred to as Googling yourself World, December 17. Located at: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/ and less frequently called vanity searching, egosearch- Pew-Study-Self-Googling-on-the-Rise-60810.html ing, egogoogling, autogoogling, self-googling, master- - Riley, D. (2007). Do you use Google for vanity searching? You’re googling, google-bating) is the practice of searching for not alone. Tech Crunch, December 16. Located at: http://www.pewinter- one’s own given name, surname, full name, pseudonym, net.org/Media-Mentions/2007/Do-You-Use-Google-For-Vanity-Searching- or screen name on a popular search engine in order to Youre-Not-Alone.aspx review the results. Similarly, an egosurfer is one who - Wikipedia (2012). Egosurfing‬. Located at: http://en.wikipedia.org/ surfs the Internet for his or her own name to see what wiki/Egosurfing information appears. It has become increasingly popular with the rise of internet search engines, as well as free

16 | digital identity - Second Edition There is now a new and, it seems dition to the social media market- at first look, a good alternative for ers’ toolset. How does it look to you? web alerts. It’s Talkwalker, a European Perhaps you have another free social company based in Luxembourg. media tool you can recommend?

It has been available as a paid ser- However, Talkwalker seem to be o vice for several years, but it has re- good alternative. cently changed to a Freemium model FREE SOCIAL MEDIA FREE SOCIAL MEDIA with free and Pro versions. http://www.smartinsights.com/social- TOOL MONITORING A REVIEW OF A NEW, OF A NEW, A REVIEW media-marketing/ Talkwalker seems to offer a wider range of insight, functions and filters USING TALKWALKER SOCIAL than other free social media monitor- SEARCH FOR SOCIAL MEDIA ing tools including: • Specific filters for News, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube • Evaluation of influencer levels of reach and engagement • Coverage of different themes • A more comprehensive database of up to 1 year

So what’s it missing? Be aware that there are still big limitations like page and content analytics, historical data access and storage, other social net- works like Google+, LinkedIn and Ins- tagram.

That said, it still looks a great ad-

Second Edition - digital identity | 17 SET UP GOOGLE

ALERTS

THIS POWERFUL TOOL MAKES IT A SNAP TO GET GOOGLE SEARCH QUERIES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

Google Alerts has been around for ages, forgotten by Step four: Choose between “all results” and “only the many and overlooked by many more. That’s a shame, be- best results,” the latter giving you what Google thinks are cause it’s still one of the Web’s best ways to keep tabs on the best matches to your query (kind of an expanded “I any person, place, or thing. Feel Lucky”). Again, if one setting isn’t providing the kind of results you want, you can easily toggle to the other. Specifically, Google Alerts sends you an e-mail digest of new Web content related to any Google search. Step five: By default, Alerts will arrive via e-mail, but if you use an RSS reader, you can also choose Feed, then Step one: Enter your search query. This would be ex- copy that feed to your reader. actly what you’d type into a Google Search box. And you can use the same search operators, too. So, for example, With all your choices made, click Create Alert. You’ll if you want to get an alert every time CNET writes about a immediately land at your Alert-management page, where new robot vacuum, you’d use this query: you can edit or delete alerts as needed. site:cnet.com “robot vacuum” By the way, Google recently overhauled the look of e- Step two: Choose the kind of results you want. By de- mail alerts, with bolder headlines and one-click sharing fault, Google Alerts will give you “Everything,” but you buttons for Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. And if a par- can also narrow the search to blogs, books, discussions ticular result seems out of place, you can click “flag as (within Google Groups), news, and video. irrelevant.”

Step three: Decide how often you want to receive this http://www.cnet.com/how-to/set-up-google-alerts/ particular alert. Google can send you notifications once per day or once per week, but if you’re tracking a par- ticularly important topic, you can choose “As-it-happens.” Be warned that this can result in a flood of e-mails. For- tunately, you can easily edit an Alert to reduce the fre- quency.

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