Can We Walk Softly

Wilderness travel has the maxim "Take only photos. Leave only footprints."

I wonder how many kilometers of path I laid down before I had any inkling that I was leaving a trail. Hmmm. Probably plenty.

I like to walk pretty quietly, observing the landscape and countryside - and when something of interest grabs my eye, I will stop, explore and engage. When a connection is made (sometimes we can't tell why), it is very common for me to return or to engage fostering the new connection. This is metaphorically true - and true of how I engage those around me.

It probably is no surprise for me to say that I am an introvert, and that plays out not only in my real life, but also in my digital life.

That being the case, I would assume my digital footprint would resemble a print left by a moccasin worn by a soft stepping walker. My assumption was not verified, however. Using the Digital Footprint tool from E=MC2, I calculated my current footprint is approximately 27 GB. More like stomping in hiking boots?

In the Calculate Your "Digital Footprint" with New Tool post from EMC (March 24, 2008) Sarah Perez tells of how John Gantz of IDC explains that our digital shadow is "simply 'information about you,' but what's surprising about this shadow, he explains, is that 'for the first time your digital shadow is larger than the digital information you actively create about yourself.' " Even when we are stepping lightly, we could be treading deeply in casting this digital shadow.

Could be.

How truly meaningful is the data we leave in our wake? Of course, practically some of it could be quite valuable (identity information and the like) and we need to be prudent. Some of it will also just be and take up space on a hard drive. (Smile for that security camera . . . . ). Should this change how we view how to live our lives?

Where we stand depends on where we sit.

My seat allows me to see towards the end of my active educational career, and the beginning of my grandfather career. I will continue to reach out to connect to (meaningfully) connect to others - in old ways and in new ways (like this). As the sun has moved past its zenith in my life, I have come to cherish my connections more. I have reflected some on what impression I want to have left when all is said and done . . . and while I want to have made some systematic differences in the learning communities I have been part of, what really matters is the individual connections and moments.

My digital life and its footprint is part of that. My digital life flows from my real life. If that has any veracity, the footprints I leave will be a decent path.