Brains working towards machine consciousness

DI Tim your friendly neighbourhood copper… or is he? In this case, no. DI.TiM is the tag I have chosen to use for matters relating to our This Is Me project, which is all about Digital Identity (DI).

There are, essentially, two types of digital identity for individuals – the ones the IT guys talk about, which is to do with being able to prove who you are (within reasonable limits) to a service on a computer – so, basically, a username and password (only it is a little more complicated than that!) and then there is the much more interesting (in my view) type of digital identity which is the identity you build up online through posting content, comments, or even just bookmarking material.

I am PatParslow on del.icio.us – and, indeed, in many other places too. I have some content in many places. RedGloo, our version of an ELGG site, which provides an opportunity for students (including me) to get to know one another before they meet face to face, for instance. I have been blogging there on occasion (!) for a couple of years. I am also in the JISC Emerge community, MUVENation, and sites of other European projects I am involved with. I used to use TheSpoke (a Microsoft site) and have had a couple of other blogs – although the names of my accounts on those vary. I have an alternative persona on Second Life (not that I get to hang out there as much as I would like) as well as on many other online 'games'.

In many ways, my digital identity is a mess! It is widely spread, and in some cases there is no clear demarcation between different places I occupy. On the other hand, my financials are all under totally different names, which I don't intend to discuss further. But the others – I can be tracked between most of them.

Interestingly though, I have a high 'presence' on Google. My name is relatively unusual, so that makes it easier for me to have a 'brand' than it is for some people, but I am often surprised when researching my digital footprint to see how many hits Google will generate for me.

The question, I guess, is how much of what is easy to find helps build my reputation, and how much might give people pause for thought? There are certainly elements of both types on the web, although I have to confess that to some extent that is because I am interested to know what people will find and what comments I will get back.

Digital Identity is not just my view of what I have on the 'net – what really matters, in many ways, is what other people see, and what impression that gives them of me. What is your Digital Identity? How big is your digital footprint, and does it all build your reputation the way you would like it to? And, while thinking about that, will it continue to reflect the person you might want to be in 20, 30, 50 years time? As Shirley Williams would point out – may be one day you would like to be on the residents committee in an old peoples' home. Will your DI help support you in that – and can you manage the information you put 'out there' to help?