So you're a webdeveloper. Where's your Digital Footprint?
Something that always amazed me is the amount of webdevelopers I happen to find on the web with literally almost no Digital Fooprint. Specially with people that I find on Freenode.
This normally happens when I’m looking for some small freelance stuff, or even just going voyeur style and find someone talking big. **People saying **
I did this and that big project here’s my twitter account and whatnot, help me, but I’m not allowed to show code.
Then when I’m really bored and in the right mood, I search his name. I’m amazed about the times I get only that profile the person just shared, that normally has one or two tweets.
Then sometimes when I get to talk to someone like that I actually ask them:
But why? Why can’t I find anything about you or your work? Why don’t you have a personal website or something?
**The answer is the same almost every time. **
Are you insane? I’m a information freak, I don’t want people searching my name, and finding stuff about me.
My normal reaction is always.
Well sure, if you were a drug lord I could understand that. But from what you say you’re “just” a webdeveloper. Being one means spending a lot of time on the internet.
Let’s be serious, if you’re a webdeveloper you do this all the time.
Inevitable if you are a “normal” webdeveloper you will end up with some kind of digital footprint because you:
- help people in forums.
- have a twitter account.
- contributed to open-source projects.
- have a personal website.
- hopefully you blog.
- are not afraid of this thing called the Internet.
What I’m trying to say is: it’s ok if you want to protect your personal information from the Elders of the internet. Actually I think the Internet appreciates that. I think there’s enough weird family photos around already.
However, I’m sure you use stackoverflow all the time. You find answers on forums everyday. Every now and again you even ask for help yourself. But when you see that lonely person asking for help on a forum, and you actually know the solution to that poor soul problem, you just close the window and move on with your life.
If you are that kind of webdeveloper. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re also a douche.
Note that I’m not saying that you should answer every question you find. I don’t do it myself if that question can be answered with a simple google search. But don’t expect people to help you all the time because the person on the other side can be a douche just like you.