IC3 GS5

Certification Guide
Lesson 17: Your Life Online

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Lesson Objectives
• describe the purpose of blogs, forums, and wikis
• understand the function of social media networks and how they
work
• understand the difference between open and closed social
networks
• describe how to use LinkedIn
• describe what constitutes your digital identity
• understand the importance of maintaining a good digital identity
• explain how to avoid cyber bullying
• understand the health risks that arise from prolonged computing
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We Are Social Beings
• How Do We Share Information?
• Computer bulletin board systems (BBS) were the pre-cursors
of modern posting platforms, including
• Blogs
• Forums
• Wikis

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Social Media Networks
• A social media network is a dedicated web site that enables users
to communicate with one another
• Users can post information,
comment on other people’s
posts, upload pictures and
videos, play games, send email
messages or engage in online
chats with one another
• You join a social media site to
connect with people
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Social Media Networks
• Building the Network
• Once you create a profile and personal page, you go about the
task of inviting other people to connect with you (on your
page)
• These people may be called friends, or contacts, or connections
• A social network is a network of people – people you know,
and people who know people that you know
• The power of a social networking is that your current friends
can lead you to new friends

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Social Media Networks
• Friends and Friend Requests
• You invite people you know to be your “friends” on the site
• Anything you post on your page can be seen by all your friends,
unless you take extra steps to share certain items with only
selected friends
• A friend request is an invitation to become online friends
• When you accept a friend request, you can then visit your friends’ pages
• You can also see all of their friends, and send friend requests to these
people
• As a matter of personal safety, you should accept friend requests only
from people you know
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Social Media Networks
• Why Do People Join Social Networks?
• Expand your list of business contacts
• Promote yourself and advertise your skill sets
• Look for job leads or to find people to fill open positions
• Advertise upcoming events
• Post job openings
• Promote brand awareness

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Social Media Networks
• Popular Social Media
Networks
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• YouTube
• Vine
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Open vs Closed Social Media
Networks
• Open social networks are open to the public
• Closed social networks are private and internal to a
company or organization or school
• To participate on a closed social network, you must have an
account associated with your organization and usually use
your work email address to sign in
• Closed social networking services can be used for
private communication and collaboration

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Open vs Closed Social Media
Networks
• Advantages of Closed Networks
• Enable businesses to harness and leverage the power of social networking
• They include message boards, news feeds, shared file locations, search capability
• They provide a central location for discussions, announcements, wikis, and file
storage
• They provide an opportunity and a platform for all employees to participate in
company “happenings” and conversations
• Examples of closed social networks include:
• Neo
• Yammer
• Slack

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Taking a Look at LinkedIn
• A social network of professional connections
• The purpose of LinkedIn is to be visible, searchable, and
findable
• Connection hierarchy:
• 1st degree – these are people you're directly connected to
• 2nd degree – these are people who are connected to your 1st
degree connections; you can send them an invitation to
connect.
• 3rd degree – these are people who are connected to your 2nd
degree connections
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Taking a Look at LinkedIn
• Creating Your LinkedIn Profile

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Your digital identity is a collection of data about you that
is available online
• Usually it is a combination of your online profile(s) and
all your postings, and all your uploads, and all your
images, and all your “likes,” and all of the people you
follow
• It includes a history of all your digital activity

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Digital Footprints
• Any time you perform an action online, you leave a trace of
information about your character
• These traces of information are digital footprints
• Because they are online, they are searchable

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Online is Forever
• Once you post something online, you are no longer in control of
that information
• Anyone who can see your post or picture or video can download it
(and keep it) or share it
• This is what gives social media its power – information is shared
and the number of people who see it grows exponentially
• This same power gives permanence to postings – both the ones
that you are proud of and the ones that you might prefer to forget

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Why Is Your Digital Identity
Important?
• Your digital identify is your personal brand
• Your personal brand distinguishes you from
other people and creates an impression in
the minds of others

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Creating a Positive Online Identity
• Create and manage your LinkedIn account – take the time to
create a well-written professional profile
• Manage your Facebook profile and remove any photos that do
not show you in a professional light
• Create a Twitter account and use it to share information that
others may find valuable
• Create and post to a blog that shares positive and professional
ideas
• Never post (or send a communication) in anger
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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Personal Identity and Professional Identity
• Some people prefer to maintain separate online identities
• One for personal pursuits
• One for professional pursuits
• Aliases
• An alias is an assumed name
• Some people use their real name and an alias to create and maintain
separate online identities
• In some profiles, you are encouraged or even required to use an alias
• People with common names are often forced to use aliases as well

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Managing Your Digital Identity
• Managing Your Online Identity
• Take a proactive role in creating and maintaining a positive online
identity
• Be careful about what you share
• Take the time to create and share material that shows you are
intelligent, thoughtful, responsible
• Find articles about issues you care about and comment on them, and
share them with others
• Try to remove any posts that show you in an unfavorable light
• If necessary, seek help from a company that provides identity services

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Online Behavior
• Remember that not everyone is who they say they are
• Online anonymity can make people feel free to behave
in ways they normally wouldn’t in face to face
communications.
• Some are less shy online
• Some more readily express anger
• We all have a moral and ethical responsibility to treat
others with respect

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Online Behavior
• Cyber Bullying
• Bullying is not a harmless electronic action aimed at no one in
particular
• Bullying is targeted at real people, and can cause real damage
• Victims of cyber bullying are more likely to suffer from low
self-esteem and to consider suicide
• Cyber bullying can have serious consequences

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Computers and Your Health
• Coping with Change
• If you refuse to change, you may be left behind
• Try to approach new technology as a new opportunity rather
than as an obstacle
• Achieving digital literacy is important for everyone

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Computers and Your Health
• Disengaging
• For how many hours every day are you “connected” and
engaged with others online?
• Do you receive and examine notifications all day long?
• Do you take time to be alone?
• Human beings need time to disengage from external stimuli

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Computers and Your Health
• Internet Addiction
• The warning signs:
• Thinking continually about online activity
• Losing interest in other hobbies or pastimes
• Spending more and more time online
• Suffering fatigue or experiencing a change in sleep habits
• Risking significant relationships, job, educational or career
opportunities because of Internet use
• Lying to family members, therapists, or others about how much time
you spend on the Internet

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Computers and Your Health
• Ergonomic Best Practices
• Sit in a chair that provides lower back support, armrests and
adjustable height
• Use an ergonomic keyboard and position the monitor correctly
• Never work at the computer without taking regular breaks
• Keep your feet flat on the floor and your thighs and forearms
parallel to the floor

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Lesson Summary
• describe the purpose of blogs, forums, and wikis
• understand the function of social media networks and how they
work
• understand the difference between open and closed social
networks
• describe how to use LinkedIn
• describe what constitutes your digital identity
• understand the importance of maintaining a good digital identity
• explain how to avoid cyber bullying
• understand the health risks that arise from prolonged computing
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Review Questions
1. Shaun regularly writes articles on database theory and instructional pieces about
using Microsoft SQL Server. Where does he most likely publish these?
a. On his blog. c. On Vine.
b. On Snapchat. d. On YouTube.
2. Which social network features pictures and videos that disappear after they have
been viewed?
a. Vine c. YouTube
b. Snapchat d. Facebook
3. Which of the following is an example of a closed social media network?
a. Facebook c. Yammer
b. LinkedIn d. Twitter

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Review Questions
4. Which of the following social networks was created specifically for making and
maintaining professional business connections?
a. Facebook c. Instagram
b. LinkedIn d. Twitter
5. The collection of data about you that is available online is your:
a. Profile c. Blog
b. Digital identity d. Facebook post history

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Review Questions
6. Helen posted a picture to Facebook and a week later she wanted to remove it. How
can she be sure that it has been removed from the Internet?
a. Deleting her post is sufficient; any posted picture can be removed from the
Internet at any time.
b. If she deletes the picture within one month of posting it, it will be permanently
removed.
c. She cannot be sure because reposts and sharing could keep it online indefinitely.
d. She can call her ISP and request that the picture be removed.
7. Which is a good reason for using an alias online?
a. To keep your personal and business identities separate.
b. To remain anonymous while making rude comments on a co-worker’s posts.
c. To bully someone and keep them guessing about who it is.
d. To enter a sweepstakes multiple times.
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Review Questions
8. Which of the following is a good way to create a positive online identity?
a. Share stories or articles about volunteer opportunities on social media.
b. Comment intelligently and thoughtfully on other people’s posts.
c. Create a blog and post positive articles that reflect your character.
d. All of these are good ways to create a positive online identity.
9. Which of the following is an example of cyber bullying?
a. Sending a derogatory email to someone.
b. Posting a compromising picture of someone on Facebook.
c. Making unkind remarks about someone on social media.
d. All of these.

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Review Questions
10. Marissa tweeted for a week to advertise a mentoring project at the public library in
which senior citizens were encouraged to mentor youth in specific job skills such as
accounting, bookkeeping and filing. She also put this information on the library
Facebook page. Although there is a large population of senior citizens within five
blocks of the library, the turnout was disappointing. Which is a probable reason for
the poor turnout?
a. Senior citizens do not care about youth in their community.
b. Seniors probably did not have transportation to the library.
c. Seniors are not particularly active on Twitter and Facebook.
d. All of these.

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Review Questions
11. Which of the following is a sign of Internet addiction?
a. Lying about how much time you spend online.
b. Having a Facebook and a Twitter and an Instagram and a Vine account.
c. Using an alias in one or more of your online accounts.
d. Configuring your phone to alert you when someone messages you on Facebook.

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