My most prevalent presence online is probably on Facebook, which is one of the few social media accounts that is directly linked to my name. I also contribute content to YouTube under the username UvaSEP (I currently have 78 videos uploaded and almost 80,000 views). My UvaSEP profile is also connected to a Xena fan forum where I contribute some memes (new as of this semester). Most of my interactions involve uploads and posts (rarely do I comment on items).
Conducting a Google search of my name yields a YouTube presentation covering my senior culminating project from last year, followed by a scholarship profile and another link to my culminating project (uploaded by Jim Groom). Also on the first page of search results is my History of Genocide subdomain and main domain. The presence of my main domain is new (as I had not developed it at the beginning of the semester). A google image search presents two pictures of me from the World Boardgaming Championships, and an image from my Great Minds article. Interestingly, a search on Bing yields my domain and subdomain as the first results, while an image search brings up one picture from WBC.
The most noticeable change over this semester is probably the development of my main domain. Being able to shape this platform to convey the polished image I want to present digitally is important, and furthermore, appears to be working. It is most telling that a search of my name on bing immediately brings up my main domain. Essentially over the course of the semester, I have been better able to shape my presence online. Rather than the top search results being information other people have written about me, some of the top results are platforms that I have created and have direct control over. Hopefully this will continue to evolve as my professional career develops, allowing me to adjust my presence as necessary (uploading resumes, etc.). Learning more about my ability to directly shape this digital identity has been the most valuable lesson I have taken from this semester.
