As summer draws to an end, many students are heading off to universities all over the world. What tier of school students were accepted to is a cocktail of high school grades, connections, extra curricular activities, test scores and good old fashioned luck. A new company Social Assurity LLC, seeks to add an additional ingredient to the list – your online identity.
It’s not secret that college admission advisors scoured candidates online identities during the admissions process. According to a 2012 survey of university admissions counselors by Kaplan, 27% of admissions counselors Google prospective candidates and 26% look up students on Facebook. New York based Social Assurity LLC is founded by an attorney with experience in background searches. According to the company website, the founder is a father who as concerned about the digital footprint of his children as they begin to apply to universities. The difference between Social Assurity LLC and a concerned parent is that Social Assurity LLC offers it’s services to monitor and “clean up” an incoming freshmen digital brand for its high end clients.
The service isn’t cheap, it costs $500 for a social Media background check and $300 for a one hour consultation. They will compile a report for you complete with recommendations to “enhance your online persona”. Social Assurity LLC doesn’t mention anything about cleaning up what they find in these searches but I’m sure that it wouldn’t be a cheap and easy click of the mouse.
We here at Digital Tattoo don’t think you need an extra $500 lying around to take control of your own personal brand. Just be aware of everything you post. Remember to actively monitor not only what you post but what your friends post about you. It is also important to investigate how many of your accounts are linked. You may think your Instagram is private but if you have ever posted a photo to a public twitter account potential schools can find your entire library in a few clicks.
The pressure to have a respectable online presence only increases during university. Watch the ABC News report about the popular “I’m Smacked” videos which is one of many sites which can ruin a students career prospects.
Would you pay money to have a professional online identity investigation? Is it a good investment or is there no substitute for common sense.
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