Creating your Web Presence

Having a social presence on the web is de rigueur these days. Professionals use them to identify colleagues and track down long-lost associates; students use them to keep up with friends and acquaintances; companies use them to find subject-matter experts for special projects. Those not having a social presence on the web are losing out on a vast number of social and professional opportunities.

However, your web presence is how people will see you and should be an accurate reflection of yourself. What you place on the web and where you place it can determine how well accepted you will be and by whom. Placing a curriculum vitae on Facebook may be  the wrong venue. Similarly, pictures of you dancing with a lampshade on your head during last years New Years Eve party may not be the professional image you want conveyed on Academia.edu.

So how do you get started in creating a worthwhile and sustainable web presence? Identify which sites cater to what you want to convey and then create your free accounts. 

·         Facebook (facebook.com) is typically used for your personal presence. This is used by friends and family to find and keep up with your activities.

·         LinkedIn (linkedin.com) is used for your professional activities. Here is where you may place links to your vitae, educational interests, and current and past employers.

·         Twitter (twitter.com) is used for short, real-time updates on your activities. One example is the “tweeting” of 144 character-long updates on conference sessions you may be attending.

·         Academia.edu (academia.edu) is the current king of the hill for academics. This site provides space for your CV, teaching philosophy, and a ton of other material related to your scholarly pursuits.

There are certainly other sites providing space for your activities, both personal and professional. But getting started with one or more of the above will give you a solid foothold with your social web presence.

For more information on creating a web presence check out Emory University Library's Creating a Web Presence: A Primer for Academics (Part I) and Creating a Web Presence: A Primer for Academics (Part II).

And remember: keep morning-after-party pics to a minimum, please.

William Brawley, "Communists" February 16, 2011 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.