Editorial: Does your online self reflect you?

The internet as we know it has been around a few years but it'll be a long time before society comes to terms with its reach and capabilities, if ever.
That said, most people are quite aware of the extent to which friends and family members, not to mention complete strangers, feel compelled to share far more details of their personal lives than ever before thanks to this tool called the internet, and more specifically, social media.
Add to that the prevalence of camera phones and smart phones which have seen the internet on the move and you have a whole new world - a new world which we're leaving digital footprints all over.
Experts have warned for years that people should be careful about their online profiles - and be aware of their available web history.
Experts have also issued warnings about security settings on sites like Facebook - regulating who can and can't see your profile and postings.
But still you can quite easily find examples of people who either don't care or are unaware strangers have access to their (sometimes damning) personal pictures and musings.
Even when you specifically post something for the world to see, you may not appreciate the potential consequences.
Take Nicola Grigg, for example, whose tweet in support of adidas' All Blacks jersey pricing prompted headlines.
Twitter differs from Facebook in that the majority of people do not protect their postings (tweets) - much of the point is to share your witticisms with the whole wide web.
But how often have we seen tweeters hauled over the coals because they've disrespected their coach, or criticised a rival or worse, a colleague, in tweets.
The law, whether you agree with it or not, is slowly catching up with technology, be it copyright law or penalties for posting rude pictures of your ex.
Britain's government is talking about the possibility of shutting down social media in times of disorder, an idea that's gained some traction with voters in our online poll (75 per cent support).
And employers are catching up too. Job hunters are being warned potential employers could be scoping out their online profiles to get a better picture of their potential employees.
But it's not just our Facebook activities we should keep in check. What do other things say about us: our email addresses, our answerphone messages, even our choices of ringtones?
The advice seems to be: Be aware.
Is the image that we present of ourselves to the world the same as that we see in the mirror, and are we happy with the answer to that question?