These days, who we are is reflected in different shades on the internet. Our vacation photos, favorite recipes, and our sports game picks can all be brought up via the web. In this new age of information, it is important that we present to the world the way that we want to be seen. When new employers are doing a check on you as a potential new employee, the last thing you want them to see is photos from a spring break trip to Cancun when you were 21. So we must monitor and edit our virtual lives so that it doesn't come back to bite us when applying for a job that will better your situation. On the same note, we don't want potential employers to google our name and be met with a blank search result. With technology advancing, it is important that we pad our virtual resume to reflect the potential that we as historians have. While history is often related to books and dozens of pads of paper that combine to present an even bigger book, it is time that we realize that heavy research and writing books is not the only way to make an impact on our field.
First, one must get rid of those nasty little secrets that will haunt our future employment if they aren't properly stowed away. Brian Croxall of ProfHacker gives us some tips on cleaning up that Facebook account that you and your friends might find amusing, but ultimately will prevent you from getting that nice corner office with a view. To successfully accomplish this visit:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/six-steps-for-checking-your-facebook-privacy/30402
Now that we have that nasty Facebook account cleaned up and hidden, now it is time to start padding the online resume. Some historians really dig their heels into the ground when it comes to moving away from intense research and book writing to do an online article. Push that out of your mind, like it or not, this is what the times calls for. There will be those individuals that continue to disagree and feel that we are losing touch with our true calling when it comes to history. I tend to disagree with these people, for me, history is a way of showing were we came from in order for us to learn from it. I love showing people how history has impacted our everyday life, and these people aren't going to want to sit down and go into drone mode over a 600 page book. The world has become a much more concise place with the invention of social media and the ability to do very specific searches that recall very specific information. So, when you someone types in your name, it is important that your Facebook account not be the only thing that pops up. Some sites that one should sign up for and fill out properly are:
www.academia.edu
www.linkedin.com
Take some time and fill out profiles for these sights. This gives employers and other people seeking out your professional aspirations an opportunity to know you on a professional level rather than at a personal level.
The key to the internet is making a resource for yourself. It is a great opportunity to be able to get research off of your bookshelves and stored electronically. This is great for easy recall but also gives you an ability to share information easily. Large databases of easily attainable information is crucial to allowing yourself the ability to quickly and effectively produce quality historical information, but at the same time, it gives an individual the opportunity to publish themselves and to become a resource without jumping through the hoops that a publishing agency requires. So get your name out there, make it professional, and reap the rewards that technology has to offer.
**PROJECT UPDATE**
The website design has been laid out and now comes the time for web design. I've done this in high school, lets just hope that I can recall everything I learned... it's only been 11 years.
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