Imagine — just for a moment — there was a way to undo every embarrassing, compromising social media post you’ve ever published.
You’re in luck: NYC-based BrandYourself is a service that does just that. And they’ve recently launched StudentMakeover, a program that helps college-bound students build a positive online presence — or erase a negative one.
“As people live more of their lives online, employers and college admissions officers are doing more digital research to form an opinion about them,” said CEO Patrick Ambron. “We wanted to create tools that helped everyone navigate that world.”
College admissions regularly turn down candidates whose social profiles don’t align with their school's core values. Just look at Harvard University, which recently withdrew acceptance offers after finding derogatory content in a Facebook group. A student’s online reputation can negatively affect his or her education and career, and negative press coverage carries with it additional — and even more deleterious — consequences down the line.
“Like most kids in any generation, they aren't thinking long-term. They aren't connecting their actions now to the career in the future,” said Ambron. “Kids have always made mistakes. The difference was, it didn't follow you around forever.”
To get started on the StudentMakeover platform, users log in and provide links to all of their social media accounts and public profiles. From there, BrandYourself uses its leading technology to scrub the content from all accounts, and gives users the opportunity to review every controversial post in question before it’s deleted forever.
Before you start to feel territorial about any controversial but delightfully tongue-in-cheek posts, remember that it’s best to remove them entirely rather than hope your privacy settings keep them hidden.
“Relying on privacy settings is a false sense of security. Yes, it may decrease the chances of getting caught or screened, but it doesn't eliminate them,” said Ambron. “More and more companies are popping up every year to help organizations find your online presence, hidden or not.”
Photo via Shutterstock.
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