Positive online reputation

Gabby Tjiroze
Michelline Nawatises



Online reputation management for young people can be an overwhelming task that can quickly get messy.

This week I would like to share why it is important for high school learners to keep favourable appeals on social media.

For many young people, the internet is a place where we spend most of our time, connecting with friends, sharing photos and videos or doing research for our school work.

In the midst of all this, it is easy to get caught up in the hype and share inappropriate content, which in many cases garners a lot of likes and retweets. The danger is that pretty much all of the content you share online is seen by anyone with internet connection.

You may think that you are young and nobody cares what you post about on these platforms, but be cautious because companies that offer scholarships and bursaries are increasingly turning to social media and online searches to find the best candidates to offer their financial assistance to.

Therefore it is important to remain level-headed because your reputation is a valuable asset and can cost you dearly.

How you behave online now can impact your future, and to a certain extent a good reputation can open doors to scholarships, job opportunities and school networks, among other things.

To maintain a good reputation, I suggest you share your interests and accomplishments, no matter how small.

When you complete matric, university and employers want to know that you have done something to prepare yourself for the real world out there.

If you are not quite happy with what you have on your accounts it is a good idea to delete and start over.

It is also not good to completely be silent on social media but it is important to engage and network with your friends online.

Be a part of educational groups on social media, most of the time people share scholarship opportunities on such platforms before they share it on individual timelines.

Equally, it is imperative to make sure that you choose the correct online platform that suits and works best for you.

There are more than 200 social media platforms out there, but that does not mean you have to be on all of them.

For example, if you have a niche for creative photography and aesthetics, then Instagram would work best for you.

If you enjoy sharing the contents of your mind and finding out what is trending, Twitter is another option.

Also, if you enjoy giving your friends live updates of what you are up to while using funky filters, then look no further than Snapchat.

If you want to connect and engage with working professionals in different fields and industries, LinkedIn is an option and if you like sharing short stories and poetry, Tumblr or Pinterest is suited best for these kind of content.

See, the options are endless.

You can choose the top five of your favourite social media sites and stick to them.

An unpopular opinion, however regarding social media is that you can have an account on your favourite social media site and not necessarily be active.

This relates to me, because I am very camera shy so most of the time, I would be online watching what others are up to instead of updating my timeline or profile.

Although this may come off as stalking, I would much rather not put up something I am not comfortable with and delete it later on.

The internet is a place full of wonderful opportunities so make it your playground. Just make sure you are careful while doing so.



michelline@myzone.com.na