Microsoft chart

Maybe we take for granted the impact of constantly emailing, tweeting, shopping and connecting with friends and colleagues on social network sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

All that connectivity and convenience is great for finding a cheap airline ticket or keeping up with distant relatives and friends.

But there is a dark side to our online activity and the activity of others that can cost us relationships, jobs and health insurance. Others are watching and monitoring our online presence and what others are saying about us, including lenders, college admissions officials and bosses.

Microsoft commissioned a survey of 5,000 people in U.S., Canada, Germany, Ireland and Spain to find out the impact of all that social networking, emailing and putting our professional and private lives out there in cyberspace.

The result: Beware.

While respondents say that online activity has helped save a friendship or land a job, of those surveyed, 14 percent of adults said they have experienced negative consequences due to the activities of others. Of those, 21 percent reported being fired; 16 percent lost out on a new job opportunity and 16 percent lost health insurance. Meanwhile, 14 percent lost out on the college they wanted and 15 percent were turned down for a mortgage.

Children also are affected. Fifteen percent of children surveyed said they suffered negatively from friends and family because of online activities and 23 percent said they have been hurt by the activities of acquaintances and strangers. Of those, half said they have lost a friendship. Other negative impacts: being socially embarrassed, alienating a relative or being the victim of cyber bullying or identity theft.

The survey raises bigger questions about privacy online and who is tracking what we do and say in cyberspace. But on the practical side, Microsoft gives advice on how to minimize the potential damage, including monitoring what people say about us on Facebook and elsewhere, take advantage of privacy settings on Facebook and other social networking sites and consider separating professional and personal profiles.

Microsoft says 91 percent of people have done something to manage their overall online profile at some point. Meanwhile, 67 percentage feel in control of their online reputation and fewer than half actively think about the long-term consequences of their online activities.

“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.”