Monday, December 17, 2007

Googling yourself for spy street cred


How often do you Google yourself? A recent survey thinks 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine. We are more snoopalicious than we were just a few years ago. The same study claimed that in 2002 only 22 percent of users would Google themselves.

What's really amazing is that 53 percent of users admit to looking up information about someone else, celebrities excluded. We are statistically more likely to spy on someone else than we are to check up on our own Internet street cred. That's crazy! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go browse minijonb on Google again.

22 Comments:

Blogger The Lady Who Doesn't Lunch: said...

For grins once I googled my parents and found their names on a state of Ohio website for unclaimed funds - they got about $150 out of it.

12:29 PM  
Blogger minijonb said...

tlwdl: that's awesome! better them than the state of Ohio hanging on to it forever.

12:34 PM  
Blogger The Diva's Thoughts said...

I've googled myself and The Anaylist. I found virtually nothing on me except credit for a website I did and a vendor list I was on for a government agency.

I found Tha Analyst was on a court docket for a traffic infraction. LOL

12:41 PM  
Blogger AcademicHussy said...

Back in the olden days, if you googled my full name (including middle intial, since I use that in all my signings), you'd find a plethora of stuff on me or about me, including the piece in Wired magazine. This also includes my online aliases (there have only been three online aliases I've used in the last 12 years).

Now, if you google my name, what comes up is my website, LJ, and archived emails from mailing lists that are viewable to the public. My online alises, since I've only used one in the last few years, has also disappeared from view.

I find it highly ironic that I went from being highly prolific to nearly non-existant -- which begs the question, do I exist? ;)

My consciousness does love you immensely though, if that counts for anything. (Queuing up that X-Files epiode, you know the one that I mean!)

12:57 PM  
Blogger The Guv'ner said...

If I google my name I'm sure to get a plethora of shite about Kelly Clarkson since we share a first initial and last name and because I appear to receive hundreds of her damn phone calls on my answering machine - all from ten year old girls who start the conversation with, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! IS THIS KELLY CLARKSON!? OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I LOVE YOU!" I have a whole tape of them.

It is no longer funny. Hmmph.

1:33 PM  
Blogger minijonb said...

diva: haHA! i hope The Anaylist is out of hot water on that ticket by now.

academichussy aka Lisa: you are number 1 on my search engine! i love you!!!

guv'ner: Kelly Clarkson owes you a big favor for all that.

1:39 PM  
Blogger Rachelle said...

I google myself every so often... there are a few people roaming this world with my exact name so I've acquainted myself with them. There's not a whole lot about me on the net. I think that's a good thing?

I've googled other random people before too, mostly those that I date. You can never be too careful!

2:02 PM  
Blogger Churlita said...

Once a friend of mine admitted to me that she googled every guy she ever slept with and I said, "Me too!" Apparently, I'm not proud.

4:14 PM  
Blogger laura b. said...

Googling people is fun, but I have never found anything very unexpected or interesting in all my snooping...drat.

4:42 PM  
Blogger minijonb said...

rachelle: yeah, not a bad thing to limit your exposure out there... unless you want to be famous.

churlita: nothing wrong with that. i think it's pretty standard to to check someone out... just don't get all OCD 'bout it... like I would...

laura b.: keep looking... you never know what you'll find... but, again, don't go overboard!

4:47 PM  
Blogger Ha Ha Sound said...

I have a Google news alert for myself. How's that for vain? =+)

11:04 PM  
Blogger Dan said...

Dude, you're on Google like white on rice! Hell, you get more hits than Britney Spears. :)

11:33 PM  
Blogger Superstar said...

~wipes brow~
PHHEEEWWWWWWW
Nope not there...HEHEHEH Secret is still safe...
LOL ;o)

I am 1 million hits on my handle and zero on my "legal" name!

11:39 PM  
Blogger Valley Girl said...

Dude, I Google-stalk people ALL the time.

2:25 AM  
Blogger dmarks said...

My name is too common; so it's no fun to do this.

6:07 AM  
Blogger minijonb said...

ha ha sound: that's not vain. it's actually really awesome.

dan: i wish! =:-)

superstar: you are still undercover. nice work secret agent!

valley girl: you should get a degree in webstalking!

dmarks: i feel the same way. i never thought my name was common until Google came around.

12:35 PM  
Blogger Theresa said...

I've Googled my name just for fun and a couple of things come up, but not much. There's a lot more with my alias, since it's a lot less common, but I'm not telling what it is.

1:14 PM  
Blogger The OE said...

Googling me returns too many responses to sift through. Sometimes a covert operative chooses to hide in plain sight.

10:29 PM  
Blogger minijonb said...

theresa: you tease! no fair.

...

9:30 AM  
Blogger minijonb said...

oe: i was thinking you might give a hint or something... but your cover is way too tight.

9:30 AM  
Blogger NouveauBlogger said...

My name is rather unusual so googling doesn't result in much. Although there's a guy in Australia with the same name. I wonder if he knows about me.

10:04 AM  
Blogger minijonb said...

nouveaublogger: how does a guy in Australia get the name "Nouveau Blogger"
=:-)

10:10 AM  

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