Take a moment and google yourself. C’mon, I know you’ve done it before, so go do it again, and then come back.
Do you like what you discovered? Do you like what people who don’t know you see when they google you? (because they are doing it, or they will).
That online identity is the first impression you make.
It takes less than 10 minutes to create an About.me page (I literally did this one in less than 10 minutes). So why not claim yours today, because it can’t hurt? You can just as easily claim a WordPress blog, a personal URL, even a personalized URL for Facebook, Twitter account, you name it.
The catch is that none of this changes what the world sees when they type your name into “the Google.” No, to change that you have to produce stuff that others write about, link to, share…which sounds incredibly intimidating and insurmountable until you consider that there are zillions of groups (volunteer and otherwise), MeetUps, blogs, get-togethers, coffee klatches, and groups-waiting-to-be-organized-and-or-have-you-jump-into-the-fray-and-make-a-name-for-yourself out there.
Jump in not BECAUSE of the Google search results, but because there’s a chance, today, to make a mark, a connection, and yes, a name for yourself, within our outside of your day job.
Starting small is still starting.
Completely agree. Apathy is not the answer. Claiming your good name is so important. I check my name frequently. Take a look at http://www.reputation.com I have been more positive reveiws though I haven’t used it myself. I question there ability to “remove personal” data from the web. It might be worth a look.
I’ve heard a lot about this in school over the past two years. It’s scary how much is out there about you that you may have no idea even exists. I’ve checked my search results over the past few years and am always surprised to see a newspaper article on me that was written almost four years ago. It’ll be interesting to see how much of it really stays “out there” forever. Although, I question that “forever” bit that’s always a part of someone’s warning. How much of your personal information will always be there, when some days I discover entire websites I’ve been visiting have been removed.