I was listening to Clark Howard today and he was talking with this woman about how one of her daughter's friends said something bad about her on myspace and now when you google her name the first result is a link to the myspace comment saying something very vulgar that could put her in an awakward predicament at the company she works. (even though I don't think the statement was true)
Now although I don't think I've said anything that could get me in trouble here, I did a google search of my name and this is the first result that actually defers to the REAL me (or at least my real me, there are undoubtedly several real me's but I am the only me I know, so to me I am the only real one)
The point is that Clark said that doing somnething stupid on myspace coudl be career suicide in the future if someone types your name into google and finds something bad about you, so I'm doing just that, typing my name into google and trying to separate my internet life as far from my real life as possible.
I tried editing my profile but couldn't find a way to change my display name, does anyone know how to change it?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
You beg Papa Moose (who asks the webmaster, IIRC). I'm whistling your post so he'll see it.
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
many thank yous rivka
I'd like my new display name to be RiderX
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Why don't you just create a new username?
Posted by Alex Johansen (Member # 9090) on :
that wouldnt help me reach my goal, which is to remove my name from the internet
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Makes sense.
Posted by Catseye1979 (Member # 5560) on :
Hmmm, Google my real name and there is nothing on the Internet related to me....Google my user name and the first page is my stuff...the second page isn't me though.
I've never put my real name on the internet, Way to public for me. Aside from someone putting lies about you on the internet and getting in trouble with people looking you up, you have to worry about Idenity theives, the less your name is out there the harder for them to get it and if they do it's easier to track them down.
Posted by Qaz (Member # 10298) on :
Maybe you could delete your posts. Bummer if you started any threads.
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
Funny, when I try googleing my name I get a ton of results that are completely different people. I imagine that it would take a ton of time and effort to get anything actually about me out of that whole pile. Heck, even when I use my middle name the results aren't about me.
Posted by I Am The War Chief (Member # 9266) on :
This process is known as a "google bomb" basically everything you would want to know about it is on wiki
When i tried searching my name I had to put it in quotes to find something that wasnt about other people.
but hatrack was on the 2nd page, and then i showed up again on the 7th page for a competition i did at my highschool a while back
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
My screenname (which happens to be my last name) came up as the "real me" on page five as the Library Thing account I set up based on recommendations from Hatrack, but Hatrack didn't show up at all. Odd.
Posted by Mara (Member # 2232) on :
My real name is shared with a sex columnist. And every potential love interest will find that before anything that's actually me.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I don't see how that could possibly be a bad thing
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I spose it depends whether she gives good advice.
Posted by Mara (Member # 2232) on :
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)