1. Online Identity: Friend or Foe?
Sarah Bodell
Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy
University of Salford, UK

2. Who am I?
“We are known by what we do”
(Christiansen 2004, p122)
Identity is fluid and is developed
through interaction with others in
society
(Filmer, Jenks, Seale and Walsh 1998)

3. Identity and context
 F2f identlty is context dependent
 F2f contexts may be separate and
discrete
 The online community is vast and
interwoven

5. Who am I online?
 People differ in how much their
unconscious needs and emotions surface in
their online identities (Suler 2002)
 I could be brown, I could be blue I could be
violet sky.
I could be hurtful, I could be purple, I could be
anything you like. (Mika, Grace Kelly, song lyric)

6. Who am I online?
 I would love to be windswept and interesting
-not quite working though!!
 I would like to be "Meredith (Merry for short)
Carmichael", a Marine Biologist.
 I want to be me. :D
 Eternally hopeful, especially in the face of
adversity
 I am wild…

7. Online identity and
Professional Identity
 Issues of professional identity stem from
professional socialization and development
(McGowen & Hart, 1990).
 This includes the acquisition of specific
knowledge and skills and the development of
new values, attitudes and behaviours (Hall,
1987; McGowen & Hart, 1990; Watts, 1987).

8. Standards for Professional
Practice
 You must keep high standards of personal
conduct.
 You must behave with honest and integrity
 Your behaviour must not damage the public’s
confidence in you or your profession.
 If a health professional does not meet HPC
standards registration can be revoked.
HPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (2008)

9. Or this?

10. The power of Google
 Google is not a search engine. It's a reputation
management system.
 Online your reputation is quantifiable, findable
and totally unavoidable.
 A single Google search determines more about
how you're perceived than a multi-million dollar
ad campaign.
http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog/2007/10/lets-get-naked.html

11. Too scary?
Some people think they can escape risk by
escaping being online, but which is worse--
having someone see you and know that you
have some flaws or being invisible? Seems like
a no-brainer to me.
http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog/2007/10/lets-get-naked.html

12. A modern day professional
necessity?
 Reputation enhancing
 Profile development
 Professional networking
 Engaging with a global community
 CPD

13. Consider
 Build you identity carefully
 Think about the image you wish to convey
 Choose the best tools for the job
 Manage and monitor your identity regularly
 Maintain your visibility