Prepared by blueocean market intelligence & Telecommunications Research Group for Microsoft Corporation 1

Less than Half of People Surveyed Think About How Their Online

Activities Impact Their Online Reputations

Adults and children may be placing their online reputations at risk

New research commissioned by Microsoft suggests adults and children may want to be more mindful of how their digital

activities impact their online reputations. Only 44% of adults and children aged 8 – 17 years old surveyed think about the

long-term impact of their online activities on their personal reputation, and only 38% of adults and 39% of children think

about the long-term impact of their online activities on the reputations of others. The research also indicates those who

don’t think about the consequences of their online activities are less likely to actively manage their online reputations or

create positive influences on their reputations through their online activities. It’s possible that people who don’t actively

think about the consequences of their activities also might underestimate how much they can impact their own online

reputations and those of others.

Some online activities with high participation rates are not seen as big contributors to online profiles

Social networking activities are ranked as only the 4th highest contributor to online profiles. Yet, photos and

comments posted on a social network, web page or blog are considered the leading positive AND negative

influences on people’s online reputations.

Uploading photos in general is not seen as a big contributor to online profiles (adults-6%, children-12%), but

photos are considered one of the biggest positive/negative influences on online reputations.

57%

57%

49%

46%

44%

43%

40%

38%

36%

52%

55%

53%

43%

44%

44%

39%

39%

34%

Take steps to keep your personal and work/school onlineprofiles separate

Information that you might be exposing or leaving behind whileengaging in online activities

Consider your own online profile when you edit or post content

How your online activities might be exposing information aboutothers

The long-term impact that your online activities might have onyour personal reputation

Consider other people’s online profile when you edit or post content

The long-term impact that your online activities might have onyour work/school reputation

The long-term impact that your online activities might have onthe personal reputation of others

The long-term impact that your online activities might have onthe work/school reputation of others

Thinking About the Impact of One's Online Activities (Always/Often %)

Adults

Children (8 - 17 yrs.)

Q1 – CY2012

Take steps to keep your personal and work/school online profiles separate

Information that you might be exposing or leaving behind while engaging in online activities

Consider your own online profile when you edit or post content

How your online activities might be exposing information about others

The long-term impact that your online activities might have on your personal reputation

Consider other people’s online profile when you edit or post content

The long-term impact that your online activities might have on your work/school reputation

The long-term impact that your online activities might have on the personal reputation of others

The long-term impact that your online activities might have on the work/school reputation of others

Prepared by blueocean market intelligence & Telecommunications Research Group for Microsoft Corporation 2

Children could use more help from their parents managing their online reputations

Less than half (43%) of parents surveyed help their children manage their online reputations. Children 8-14 years old are

twice as likely to receive parental help as children 15-17 years old (66% vs. 33%). It may be risky to assume that older

children need less help – especially since the reported incidence of harm from online information is higher for the older

group (19%) than for younger children (16%).

According to the survey, greater parental help in managing online reputations coincides with children having:

Greater concern about their own online reputation

Stronger consideration for the long-term consequences of their online activities on their personal reputation (57%

among children whose parents provide all the help needed vs. 35% among children whose parents don’t help at

all)

A higher reported percentage of positive influences on their reputations from their online activities

Perception is reality

Online reputation management has two important parts: what you post online and what others post about you. As this

research shows, people often don’t think about the long-term consequences of their online behavior and forget that what

ends up in cyberspace can last a lifetime. The rise of social networking sites makes it easy for anyone to form an opinion

about you based on what’s online. Many employers use Facebook to assess job candidates, and colleges and insurance

companies may search for photos and web postings to help evaluate applicants. The more proactively you manage your

online profile, the more opportunities you have to ensure your online reputation is one you can be proud of.

Monitor your reputation - Monitoring is an essential part of reputation management. Search your name and

email address regularly in search engines.

Talk with your children – Children need help and greater involvement from their parents to better understand

the consequences of their online activities.

Go to the source – If you fear a friend or family member is having a negative influence on your online reputation,

consider talking to the person directly. If needed, you may wish to block further online engagement.

Use privacy settings – Adjust privacy settings to allow approved friends, family and the public varying levels of

access to your profile – e.g., to post to your Wall, tag you in photos or videos, make comments, etc.

For more information Microsoft offers a free downloadable Take Charge of Your Online Reputation brochure. Microsoft

also provides guidance on how to be a better digital citizen in our Digital Citizenship in Action Toolkit.

This material is provided for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied.

49% 56%

68% 67%

Parents don'thelp me at all

Parents helpme a little

Parents helpme a lot

Parents giveall the help I

need

Children - Q3a. How concerned are you about your online reputation?

Very/Somewhat Concerned (%)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

% Reporting Positive Influences on Online Reputation from Online Activities

Help Completely

No help at all

The amount of help children get from their parents

managing their online reputations matters.