I know that we have covered protecting your on-line reputation in past posts. We have talked about taking care when sending emails and whether or not you are giving the wrong impression with your on-line persona. However, I read an interesting article in the Toronto Star on Saturday, What your emails say about you, written by Michael Agger, which brings a new twist to this advice.

There is software out there that actually evaluates what an “effective” employee looks like based on your electronic trail. The software can look for things like what employees might be using all-caps, indicating high emotion or who might be communicating with people on a distant part of the org chart - a relationship that makes no organizational sense. The software looks for “call me” events, when something is taken off line and for employees who change from English to their native tongue.

The software also has built in filters that look at when employees are revisiting their resumes. The software can also scan for first drafts of employee performance reviews saved on hard-drives that might actually be quite different from what is submitted to human resources. The software highlights employees whose content gets used over and over again to determine who might be making the biggest impact on the organization.

But don’t think this software is simply targeted at employees. It can also analyze managers and determine who is passing the digital buck.  It evaluates what managers in the organization collect and answer many of the open-ended queries, as these people may be seen to be the ones really making decisions.

The software is also capable of building maps of conversations taking place throughout the organization.

Now, I’m not suggesting for a moment that your company is using this software package to determine your efficiency. However, it does make one think about what they should and should not be relaying by email, saving to their hard drives, etc. It does give you pause to think about the electronic track you are leaving in your company.

I doubt that companies would seriously build their succession plan around your electronic tracks, but it is good to know that the software exists.

The next time you begin an email with “I probably shouldn’t put this in email, but…” stop, delete and determine what the best communication method might be for your concern. Remember that companies own everything on your computer hard-drive, email account and blackberry. It is up to you to determine what is in your best interest to share and what to leave off-line.

What does your electronic footprint actually look like? Do you think it would help or hinder your career aspirations?