Microsoft encourages individuals to examine their online reputation and offers tips to start the new year with the best digital foot forward. As such, Microsoft commissioned a survey* of 5,000 people that revealed a wide variance of online behaviors and attitudes and explored the resulting impact to people's overall online profiles and reputations. With respondents from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Ireland and Spain, the research shows that although 91 percent of people have done something to manage their overall online profile at some point, a smaller percentage feel in control of their online reputation (67 percent) and fewer than half actively think about the long-term consequences of their online activities (44 percent). Further details on this survey and Microsoft's commitment to privacy and involvement in Data Privacy Day can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/privacy/dpd.

"Your online reputation is shaped by your interactions in the online world and spans the disparate and varied data about you, whether created and posted by you or others. This information can have a lasting presence online, and can affect your life in many ways — from maintaining friendships to helping you keep or land a new job," said Brendon Lynch, chief privacy officer, Microsoft. "Our research reinforces the fact that people want a range of privacy options. Microsoft is committed to offering meaningful choices and helping to ensure that people have the tools to make informed choices online to better manage their privacy and online reputations."

To help people put their best digital foot forward, Microsoft is offering the following tips to help cultivate and maintain a positive online reputation: