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Staci

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You might not have noticed, but at the end of April we added a toll-free phone number to the Student LoanDown blog: 1-877-412-5321.

In the age of social networking and Twitter  — which, BTW, Wells Fargo is using  — why would we include something as archaic as a phone number? After all, I'm the first to admit that I generally go out of my way to avoid making a phone call. If it's something I can solve by looking up the answer online or sending an email, that's the route for me.

But education financing can be complicated, frustrating, and even a bit emotional. And when you're trying to figure out how much to borrow for school — or if you should even borrow at all — sometimes it can help to talk things through with a real, live person. Our student loan specialists are here to help.

Of course, you can continue to comment on posts, or send us emails, or use our Ask the Expert tool. You have options!

Later this year we're going to give ourselves a bit of a facelift, and we're planning on adding some additional features, too. If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see, please send 'em our way!

Kathy

Increasingly, more and more of us are moving a part of our social lives online. Take me for example: I'm a social media  junkie! I love reconnecting with old friends with whom I had lost touch, sharing pictures from recent trips or parties, hearing about my friends' opinions on current events, etc., etc., etc...

Is there a support group for folks like me?

Which leads me to a few important questions: Does your virtual reputation reflect your professional reputation (or the one you want to establish)? Are the photos and comments you're posting online things you would want your parents to know about? What about your boss or any future employer?

If the answer is no, you might want to take some steps to make sure that your reputation is protected (or at least consistent) online! Here's what I do:

1. I deactivated accounts that I no longer use. Like I said, I jumped on the social media bandwagon in a big way. At my worst, I had joined no fewer than eight different social media-type sites. Yikes! About a year ago, I went back and removed my information from all but the two or three sites that I actively use so that I don't have such a long trail of websites to keep tabs on.
2. I actively manage the privacy settings  provided on the sites I still do use. I make sure that I am only sharing personal information with my friends and I restrict access to photos even more stringently. If someone tags a picture of me that I would prefer didn't go up, I immediately remove that tag and occasionally even ask that person to take pictures down. People have gotten fired for photos that were put up on these web sites! Is that something I want to deal with? Um, no!

There are companies out there  that will help you protect your rep, but in the spirit of DIY, this is something that you should take a very personal interest in yourself! If you're not quite sure about general guidelines for internet privacy, there are plenty of resources to help you get educated, such as:

1. www.ConnectSafely.org 
2. www.NetSmartz.org 
3. www.OnguardOnline.gov 
4. www.TRUSTe.org 
5. www.WebWiseKids.org 
6. www.WiredSafety.org 

What steps have you taken to protect your virtual rep?

Barbara

My something finally arrived!

Now it’s time to share my Somethingstore.com  package unveiling with you. I know you've waited with baited breath to see what I got, so check out the video to watch me open my something!

Barbara

Every once in a while I make an online purchase so good that I track its movement almost ritualistically. For example, when my new iPod Nano  was on its way, I hit up the FedEx package tracker  on pretty much an hourly basis to watch my new gadget travel from China to South Dakota (with stops in Alaska and Kentucky along the way).

I’m currently tracking something else, and my excitement is palpable. I seriously can’t wait for my something to get here. And literally I mean “something.” The package is coming from the Something Store .

Now, you know I’m trying to be good about frivolous spending, but when I heard the story about the Something Store on NPR , I just had to try it. So here’s my endorsement for one-time frivolous spending … with a $10 cap! :)

The anticipation of what my something is has been worth the price! The store offers you a chance to see recently shipped somethings  to get an idea of the kinds of items they send. I’ve been checking it regularly and guessing what my something will be. Fingers crossed for an auto emergency kit.

Of course I’ll let you know what my something is once it arrives! Hopefully it will be here soon.

Yay, surprises!

Staci

What does your online persona say about you?

Let me clarify here, because I'm not talking about your avatar in a virtual world or your online dating profile.

What I mean is this: Would a web search reveal any skeletons in your social networking closet that might impact your future? For example, are you concerned about what college admissions counselors, scholarship search committees, or potential employers might find if they happened upon your MySpace  page?

On occasion I google  myself to find mentions of this blog or, since I serve as a company spokesperson, any news articles referencing Wells Fargo student loans. Sure, this research is necessary for my job — but honestly, I am curious. Who isn't?

So far, I haven't found any surprises (good, bad, or otherwise). I try to be careful — I blog only for work, and for the most part, I keep my Facebook  profile settings private. Even so, in the online world, nothing's really all that private.

If you're a high school student, college student, or a soon-to-be graduate, you probably have a far more active and visible online persona than I do. What precautions are you taking to keep your online self cloaked? Or do you use the internet to highlight your accomplishments and market yourself?