Everyone's done it at least once. Maybe when you were bored. Maybe when you thought no one was looking. Or maybe you did it together with friends and shared the results. And why not? Everyone is curious. There's no shame in googling yourself.
In fact, I would argue in today's information saturated world that you owe yourself a good thorough google. Your friends, potential lovers, and co-workers have done it. Most importantly, your current or potential employers have likely done it. If you are a student applying for school, the school may have done it as well.
You deserve to know what is out there about yourself. It may not only be things you yourself have posted or things you have posted that you thought were private and safe, may not be so. You could be on a company or school website, easily found through google search. Maybe winning the that T-ball game 20 years ago has somehow made it onto the web. Other people could have blogged about your or posted pictures of you or video or who knows what. They could be bashing you or lying about you or stealing your ideas.
Not that it is always bad. Had I googled myself a few months ago I likely would have found out that someone wrote a very admirable review of my book. Instead I found out from someone else. But I'm just saying. Maybe others are saying good things about you too. Maybe someone is in love with you and afraid to say so and is keeping an intricate blog on each little thing you do. Or maybe that is just creepy.
The point is you never know.
More importantly, and despite all the papers I read last semester on privacy and schools checking student's facebook accounts I only just thought of this:
Who else is out there that could be easily mistaken for you?
The first time I googled myself I found out that someone with my exact name was running an erotic porn site. It was located at www.myname.com. My name meaning MY name. Exact same spelling, first and last, which is odd. (I have an less commonly spelled version of my name.) Then I later found out that someone with my exact name (maybe the same person who was running the original site) writes erotic novels, the super cheesy and "you need to be 18 to view" types. Since I am trying to make it in the world as a writer this could throw confusion in my career. I don't know yet that it would work for or against me... but at any rate, this person after all posts no biological info that would differentiate them from me (last I checked) and I myself do not yet have my own author's page set up (Well I do on Facebook).
And my name is odd! Think of all those people out there with similar or popular namesakes. Who knows who could be mistaking someone else for you.
Additionally, if employers are going to do online checkups of people, the vague or mostly private facebook and myspace pages out there might not be a good thing. I mean you could go off the theory that, if there isn't enough info to prove it is you, then there probably also isn't enough info visible to falsely incriminate you. But if you don't have a facebook or myspace, or have made yourself unsearchable, and that potential alma marter or employer goes digging and only finds this other profile, with your exact name, maybe even your same state and/or age, and there is nothing else there but a naked picture of them doing a beer bong- how is that going to fair for you?
I suppose the respectable thing for them to do would be to give the applicant the benefit of the doubt, but such pictures might not easily leave one's mind and then what? Especially if they don't know what you look like.
I mean, I've been looking for people that I've meet in person, have even known for years, and have run across profiles that I wasn't sure if it was theirs or not. Most of the info seemed right, the rest was blocked and the picture was either similar, bad, or of a cartoon. Then what? That is all I am saying.
Perhaps it is better to have a public internet presence that simply behaves itself- doesn't give too much personal info or become any more offensive than you would be in person, but enough to clearly be recognizable as you, yourself- so that anyone searching for you gets the appropriate impression, and doesn't have to do the guesswork of whether that seemingly nice profile is yours or if the other profile with your name on it that notes your favorite nickname as Sir Spanky Pants, is yours.
I suppose the decision is all yours and the preponderance of such things deserves more than one blog entry can give. But I think it is definitely something to think about and to become aware of.
The internet does offer awesome anonymity, but that could also make some very important issues foggy as well.
Whatever you do, it is probably a good idea to make googling yourself a more routine occurrence. Every few months or so, like going to the dentist. Giving your virtual self a little check up. Just so you know.
In fact, I would argue in today's information saturated world that you owe yourself a good thorough google. Your friends, potential lovers, and co-workers have done it. Most importantly, your current or potential employers have likely done it. If you are a student applying for school, the school may have done it as well.
You deserve to know what is out there about yourself. It may not only be things you yourself have posted or things you have posted that you thought were private and safe, may not be so. You could be on a company or school website, easily found through google search. Maybe winning the that T-ball game 20 years ago has somehow made it onto the web. Other people could have blogged about your or posted pictures of you or video or who knows what. They could be bashing you or lying about you or stealing your ideas.
Not that it is always bad. Had I googled myself a few months ago I likely would have found out that someone wrote a very admirable review of my book. Instead I found out from someone else. But I'm just saying. Maybe others are saying good things about you too. Maybe someone is in love with you and afraid to say so and is keeping an intricate blog on each little thing you do. Or maybe that is just creepy.
The point is you never know.
More importantly, and despite all the papers I read last semester on privacy and schools checking student's facebook accounts I only just thought of this:
Who else is out there that could be easily mistaken for you?
The first time I googled myself I found out that someone with my exact name was running an erotic porn site. It was located at www.myname.com. My name meaning MY name. Exact same spelling, first and last, which is odd. (I have an less commonly spelled version of my name.) Then I later found out that someone with my exact name (maybe the same person who was running the original site) writes erotic novels, the super cheesy and "you need to be 18 to view" types. Since I am trying to make it in the world as a writer this could throw confusion in my career. I don't know yet that it would work for or against me... but at any rate, this person after all posts no biological info that would differentiate them from me (last I checked) and I myself do not yet have my own author's page set up (Well I do on Facebook).
And my name is odd! Think of all those people out there with similar or popular namesakes. Who knows who could be mistaking someone else for you.
Additionally, if employers are going to do online checkups of people, the vague or mostly private facebook and myspace pages out there might not be a good thing. I mean you could go off the theory that, if there isn't enough info to prove it is you, then there probably also isn't enough info visible to falsely incriminate you. But if you don't have a facebook or myspace, or have made yourself unsearchable, and that potential alma marter or employer goes digging and only finds this other profile, with your exact name, maybe even your same state and/or age, and there is nothing else there but a naked picture of them doing a beer bong- how is that going to fair for you?
I suppose the respectable thing for them to do would be to give the applicant the benefit of the doubt, but such pictures might not easily leave one's mind and then what? Especially if they don't know what you look like.
I mean, I've been looking for people that I've meet in person, have even known for years, and have run across profiles that I wasn't sure if it was theirs or not. Most of the info seemed right, the rest was blocked and the picture was either similar, bad, or of a cartoon. Then what? That is all I am saying.
Perhaps it is better to have a public internet presence that simply behaves itself- doesn't give too much personal info or become any more offensive than you would be in person, but enough to clearly be recognizable as you, yourself- so that anyone searching for you gets the appropriate impression, and doesn't have to do the guesswork of whether that seemingly nice profile is yours or if the other profile with your name on it that notes your favorite nickname as Sir Spanky Pants, is yours.
I suppose the decision is all yours and the preponderance of such things deserves more than one blog entry can give. But I think it is definitely something to think about and to become aware of.
The internet does offer awesome anonymity, but that could also make some very important issues foggy as well.
Whatever you do, it is probably a good idea to make googling yourself a more routine occurrence. Every few months or so, like going to the dentist. Giving your virtual self a little check up. Just so you know.
Comments
Post a Comment