Exercise 2.3 Create and record your online persona

I'd prefer to have a 'persistent avatar' across all my social networks and virtual environments. This approach approximates me in real life because I avoid using social networking to communicate with friends and family - much preferring a phone call and face to face conversation and the occasional email. My persistent professional avatar is compatible with a structured work or study-related online community, where I am familiar with the norms and expectations of the group.

My Facebook account privacy settings are set up to differentiate between friends/family and other groups, for example, work colleagues, and I have a feeling that, due mainly to technical difficulties, I won't be spending much time in Second Life. I don't identify myself on either my Facebook or Twitter profiles as a UTS Library staff member due to the following 'guideline' from the Library's Social Networking Policy:

Establishing a social networking presence
Social networking is evolving rapidly and to remain current the Library will need to continue to establish different presences and experiment with new technologies. For staff who wish to establish a new social networking channel (e.g. a personal or team blog covering their professional activities, a MySpace page) official permission will be required. The following procedures should be followed:

1. Submit a short application to your supervisor outlining the proposed purpose, content and media of your intended social networking site
2. Once approved by your supervisor it will be escalated to your manager for approval
3. Once approved at the managerial level it will be forwarded to the DERSU for endorsement
4. New sites should be established in consultation with the Library’s Web Administrator and IT Services Department, and details of the account including log-ins lodged with Vital Records (Corporate Services staff can assist with record keeping).

What would Noel Coward think of Facebook?