Take a look at your image in the Internet mirror; Google Search your name, FR screen name

The Dallas Morning News ^ | April 16, 2004 | By TOM MAURSTAD / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Take a look at your image in the Internet mirror

07:42 PM CDT on Friday, April 16, 2004

By TOM MAURSTAD / The Dallas Morning News

Have you ever googled yourself, maybe late at night, when nobody else was around? It's OK, you can admit it – everybody does it.

It's called "self-googling" – entering your name into the popular search engine to see what hits come up. And thanks to a communications professor at the University of Buffalo who researches online behavior and relationships, self-googling has become the latest mini-craze to sweep through the media and over the Internet.

It all started with an article in the university's student newspaper on April 8 in which Alexander Halavais, the aforementioned communications professor, asserted that "self-googling" wasn't merely an act of vanity or boredom but really an increasingly important act of image maintenance in our Internet age.

In the days since, follow-up articles and accounts have been pinging around the electronic universe. See for yourself: Google the phrase "self-googling."

"It's been a strange kind of fun to be at the center of this," says Mr. Halavais. "One, because this behavior is nothing new; it's known on the Web as 'ego surfing.' And, two, because this is not really the focus of my research."

Whatever you want to call it, checking out who you are and what's being said about you on the Internet is rapidly becoming a common-sense practice in a wired world. Think of it as the digital equivalent of looking at your reflection as you pass by a mirror, checking to make sure your hair is unmussed and there's nothing stuck between your teeth.

"It's truer for some than others, but more and more you need to be aware of and manage your online image and reputation. I talk to a lot of students who are applying for jobs, and they take for granted that a Web search is part of the process."

So, go ahead. Google yourself. Who knows what you'll find out?

Of course, Alexander Halavais knows exactly what he's going to find next time he gets the urge to self-google.

"That's it, I'm branded. From now on, I'm the self-google guy."

E-mail tmaurstad@dallasnews.com

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041704dnartselfgoogle.310f4.html

[sweetliberty]

My FR home page comes up as the 4th entry. There used to be a lot more FR threads come up, but "sweetliberty.org" seems to have taken over the google pages under that name.

[ovrtaxt]

All I found was a bunch of FR threads.

Oh, and the fact that I'm Jennifer Eccleston's #11 referrer to her site through my FR homepage.

I wonder if that'll get me a date? Shock and awe, indeed!

[arasina]

OMG! I just did an IMAGE search for my FReeper name! My results are hilarious.

Turkish Talk Show?

Japanese Park

[lavrenti]

And lest we forget ... a belching broad done up as the Statue of Liberty, LOL.

[lavrenti]

I have such a common name, I feel the same.

With the right keyword search, I found something interesting about myself I was quite unaware of. That was cool.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Yep. And she's at the South Street Seaport every year, panhandling "donations" from the out-of-town goobers in garish polyester who then go home and babble about the weirdos in NYC...

[arasina]

My real maiden name is not so common, but there are a lot of photos of women with my married name that deserve that same YIKES! LOL

I like the SkyPilot pic.

[AmericanVictory]

bump

[potlatch]

I found something interesting about myself I was quite unaware of.

That was neat!! I just found out there are a lot of other women with my name, LOL.

[arasina]

I like those butter-filled shoes. Wouldn't that feel delicious?

[lavrenti]

Ah, yes. South Street Seaport where the biggest rigger docked carried guano for cargo. I always get a laugh out of that.

I had an amusing panhandler moment today. This wannabe Indigo Girl sans partner trolled on the 7 and did the most bloodless version of Creedence this side of a Holiday Inn lounge circa 1977.

I never could conceive of the notion of someone daring to pluck an Epiphone in a subway car, either but this is NYC and I should never be surprised.

[lowbridge]

Much better ;-)

[arasina]

Yum! I love Tapti'o hot sauce! How did you choose your name, tapatio?

[RonDog]

See also:

Google ranks Free Republic's "most popular" posters [Vanity]
			Posted by RonDog On News/Activism 02/18/2001 6:19:46 PM PST with 169 comments How to do full-text FR searches ^ | 01/16/2001 | Google, meta, & FR

[lowbridge]

Your pic is better than mine (post 112).

[arasina]

uh oh. This is a little scary. I did a Yahoo Image Search for "arasina" and I got THIS.

Spáði Nostradamus fyrir um árásina í New York?

And this one on a website called ORTHOTURK.

And I thought arasina was such a feminine name.

[Jorge]

Besides the family tree stuff etc...the most interesting thing I found was an email I sent to the Detriot News that they posted online (and perhaps published) defending Bush on environmental policies. I don't even remember writing it, but definitely recognize my position on the topic.

[ovrtaxt]

Herpetology bump to you.

I knew a girl with herpetology bumps once.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Oh cool!!! My name is on this page.

Click here to find the real name of Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin.

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