The problem with tattoos is that they are a very permanent form of decoration. Pick one on a whim and you will probably have to live with it for the rest of your life. In this TED talk, Juan Enriquez compares the tracks we make on the Internet to being a “digital tattoo”. The analogy has weaknesses — there is far more content and far less coherence than most body ink — but it is interesting to consider how you create a trail that can be very hard to expunge.

It is a question I ask myself a lot. I enjoy online participation but I do take care to consider how I present myself online. How can I present myself truthfully so there is value in what I do now but also avoid setting myself up with a trail that I might in future want to (attempt to) distance myself from?