Google Yourself, It's Time To Play Detective
Have you ever typed your name, credit card number, social security or other personal information into a search engine and been surprised by the result? Not so long ago this was called ‘egosurfing’ but today this simple act of playing detective online has led to new levels of transparency. Everyone from employers, parents, children and spouses want a sneak preview of someone else’s life online. But how important is your online reputation and what are the ramifications of unwanted information floating around the web?
Survey results completed by ExecutNet showed that 77% of recruiters report using search engines when performing background checks on candidates, and yet few job seekers check their own online reputation before applying for jobs.
“Google is no longer just a search engine, it’s a reputation engine” stated Chris Dellarocas, a University of Maryland professor studying how online reputations are formed. The difference between a ‘good’ and an accurate online reputation has become increasingly difficult to determine.
Anonymity and credibility are at stake when online information is concerned. Anyone can post information online making it increasingly difficult to separate fiction from nonfiction. Newsgroups, emails, Blogs, online networks and community bulletin boards; the list continues but trying to remove personal information that you do not want to appear online is a task in itself. Contacting webmasters, writing to Google, Bloggers and news sites is a time consuming process and it’s hard to know who to contact to get content removed.
Here are a few tips to survive the harsh reality of the web and keep your online reputation in tact.
- Social Networks and Blogs: Do not write anything on Facebook, Blogger or Myspace that you wouldn’t want a family member to see.
- Do a thorough search on Google, Yahoo, Dogpile.com, MSN and any other search engine you have used in the last 12 months. Log onto the people search engines and correct any inaccurate information.
- Email is forever: Never write an email that you do not want the world to read.
- Search for your name in Spock and Zoominfo. By roaming the web for information, these sites generate a profile database of web users.
- If inaccurate or negative information has been posted about you already, counteract this information by publishing articles, comments and information that present you in a favorable manner, repositioning you in search engines. If you receive bad publicity, rather let people hear it from you first!
‘Googling yourself’ is no longer a ‘geek bragging’ ‘Google stalking’ past time. Playing detective is now an act of survival and needs to be preformed on a regular basis.
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