A blog and nothing but since 2003. Some tech, lots of music, and if rambling was money, drinks are on me.
Quick tips: What’s your online identity?
Homer: You can’t enjoy money when you’re dead, so why not have fun now?
Marge: Don’t you think you’ve had enough fun? Last year you spent five thousand dollars on donuts, two thousand on scalp massages, five hundred on body glitter.
Homer: Hey, I earned that money! While you lounge around here doing laundry and putting up drywall, I’m at work busting my hump.
Marge: Oh, please! From what I hear, you waltz in there at ten thirty, take a nap on the toilet, then sit around “Googling” your own name until lunch!
Homer: Who told you that?!
Marge: You shouted it while we were making love!
While I can’t recommend spending the whole afternoon Googling your own name, Homer’s on to something. I was reminded by this great article in Lifehacker that you really should meet your online persona, because you may not really know your online persona like you think you do.
At the very least, Google your own name in quotes (so that you get your name exactly) and just go through the first 4-5 pages of search results. Are you satisfied with what you’re finding? Does it represent you? This is what people see about you. “People” could be as benign as an old friend who wants to see what you’re up to, but it could be a future employer or coworker, or–worst of all–an ex.
Just a friendly reminder and/or tip that there are steps that you can and should take to control what’s ending up in the world, and to make sure that what’s out there is what you want out there.
Update: Welcome to folks coming from DC blogs! I try to write about tech stuff (”Tech for the Technophobic” as it’s unofficially titled) a few times a week, giving tips from what I learn. If you’re interested, there’s piping hot RSS feeds, one specifically for tech. There’s also music and everything else. Don’t be a stranger, stranger.
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February 27th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I do better than that: I’ve got my name in quotes entered in as a Google alert. That way anytime a review of one of my shows comes out or some smarmy old bitter blogger says something nasty about me, I get it in my inbox. And I’ve been following my career very closely; the latest news is that after diminishing returns with my Nuremburg futbol club, I basically became infamous in the Bundesliga and decided to quit. But before I could do that, they fired me. Sonsabitches. Anyway, no word on what I’ll do next, but I know that Google will keep me posted.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:51 am
That’s one of the tips that they have in that Lifehacker article. It’s probably not something that most non-director, non-futbol stars need, but it’s a good tip. And good to know that if I want to get your attention, I could just write something about you on the web.
Also, I may be old, and bitter, and a blogger, and smarmy, but I’m not…um…
February 27th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
[...] who live by the Google can perish by the Google. Keeping an eye on your online persona. Are [...]