Creating and Managing Your Online Presence

Melissa Fortson Green (Gorgas Information Services) and Franky Abbott (ADHC) presented their “Creating and Managing Your Online Presence” today in the ADHC. Here  is video of the workshop, their handout, and resources for more information (below).

Resources

Further Reading

Tools

Blogs/websites
These free tools make it easy to create and maintain blogs and websites with no HTML experience required. More advanced users or those seeking additional features might consider Drupal (http://drupal.org/), Joomla (http://www.joomla.org/), or WordPress.org (http://wordpress.org/).

  • Blogger: http://www.blogger.com
  • Google Sites: https://sites.google.com/
  • Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com
  • Weebly: http://www.weebly.com/
  • Wix: http://www.wix.com/
    Wix will be the focus of the next Lunchtime Learning workshop, to be held Wednesday, April 10, 12pm – 1pm, in the Alabama Digital Humanities Center (Gorgas Library Room 109A).
  • WordPress: http://wordpress.com/
  • BrandYourself: http://brandyourself.com/
    The BrandYourself service helps you “control Google search results for your name,” submit and “boost” positive links, monitor changes, and see which companies have viewed your profile.

Document-sharing sites
Document sharing sites rank highly in search results. Consider using Scribd (http://www.scribd.com/) to embed a resume on your blog or website and using SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net/) to share your presentations.

Facebook

  • Activity Log
    http://www.facebook.com/help/activitylog
    Your activity log is a list of your Facebook posts and activity, along with stories and photos you’ve been tagged in. Dropdown menus next to each story allow you to adjust the privacy and control its visibility on your timeline.
  • Privacy
    http://www.facebook.com/help/privacy
    Information to help you control your sharing on Facebook.
  • A Guide to Facebook Privacy Options (WSJ)
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324880504578300312528424302.html#project%3DFBPRIVACY0308%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive
    Facebook privacy options change frequently, but here’s a recent guide from the Wall Street Journal.

Google

  • Dashboard
    https://www.google.com/dashboard/
    When signed in to your Google account, you can use the Dashboard to view and manage your personal information stored in various Google services.
  • “Me on the Web”
    https://www.google.com/settings/me
    When signed in to your Google account, you can search for yourself, have Google notify you when information abut you appears online, and review your Google profile, all from this page.
  • Profile
    http://profiles.google.com/
    Creating a Google profile is one of the easiest ways to create a distinct online identity for yourself.

LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn
    http://www.linkedin.com/
    LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals. LinkedIn profiles are easy to complete and rank highly in search results.

People search
People search services (also known as peoplefinder sites), allow users to see lots of information about you, including your online profiles and photos. Consider using these tools to see what information about you is freely available online. UnlistMy.Info (http://unlistmy.info/) lists additional people search sites and offers directions on how to remove yourself from their results.

Personal homepages
These personal homepage sites (also known as microsites or splash pages) allow users to easily present bios, contact information, and links to social media channels.

SimpleWash

  • SimpleWash: http://simplewa.sh/about
    The SimpleWash app scans the content on your Facebook and Twitter profiles and detects keywords associated with things you might not want a potential employer to see.

Twitter

  • Twitterhttps://twitter.com/
    The more you use Twitter, the higher it will rank in the search results for your name. Think about what you want searchers to see when they look for you.

UA.edu

  • IT Service Desk Web Publishing
    http://oit.ua.edu/oit/services/it-service-desk/it-service-desk-web-publishing/
    myBama account holders have access to web hosting on the bama.ua.edu server.
  • people.ua.edu
    http://www.people.ua.edu/
    The Office of Multimedia Services offers a simple tool UA faculty can use to create sites for professional use.

Introduction to WordPress: Building a Class Online

Today’s workshop, led by David Ainsworth, focused on building and using a WordPress site in a pedagogical context. This teaching focus was an important part of the workshop since, as Dr. Ainsworth pointed out, WordPress sites can be used to build almost any kind of website (more and less effectively). He also made a strong case for the advantages of the public orientation of WordPress sites (as opposed to those on Blackboard) and the opportunities they create for student engagement with new audiences. He has made his slides and handout available for those who couldn’t make it or want to know more.  There are lots of resources for working with WordPress – if you are in Arts & Sciences then e-Tech can help (with course sites and research sites) and of course the ADHC can always help you get started. Thanks for your contribution to our workshops, Dr. Ainsworth!