True Story

A few days ago, I stopped by the office of a potential customer. He was busy, so I left my card. He contacts me to set up a meeting. Today we meet.

All seems normal.

Except, he surprises me with some new-found information about me, my education and probing my experience. You know, stuff NOT on my business card. I was caught completely off-guard by this sudden turn of events. Do you know how disarming it is to talk to a total stranger who possesses knowledge on your past you didn't provide.

It wasn't creepy. Really, it was more funny....in a creepy way.

After coming to the conclusion he must have Google'd me, I came home and frantically reviewed what dirty little internet bugs pop up with variations of my name. Thankfully, I recently privatized many of my accounts and removed inappropriate content (some stuff I say makes for awkward conversation later). While locking my internet profile up tighter and throwing away the key, a light bulb went off over my pretty little head.

If HE can search ME, I most certainly can search HIM. It's only less weird when done in reciprocation.

To my surprise, a quick Google search only pulls up his Twitter account, which is private. But it links to his semi-private Facebook page where I wonderfully discovered he read the Twilight Saga and The Dresden Files-which I will tease mercilessly and praise, respectfully. And that's not all...FB gives up the MySpace account which, like the rest of society, hasn't been updated in years and has all the juicy shit we posted on the internet before we knew to make our accounts private, then forgot all about.

As we say in Las Vegas: "Jackpot, Baby!"

Google Yourself

So I'm sitting at home on a Friday night totally bored. Sad, I know. After a particularly LOOOOONG stressful week at work, I don't feel much like going out, and I'm too wound up to go to bed. Normally I would read or write, but that takes too much energy and I feel very veg right now. Nothing left to do but Google random shit.

On a whim, I type my name in Google images and the first few snapshots are my profile pics from Facebook and MySpace! I haven't been on MySpace in like, years! Thank goodness it was only a random picture from before my wedding where I'm dressing up in my veil acting silly (but not too silly) with the siblings. Nothing embarrassing. Makes a person wonder just how they're presenting themselves on the web, though. Think about it, your employer, co-workers, friends and family can simply type your name in one of a dozen search engines and something is bound to pop up-not all of it necessarily good.

With this in mind, I stopped worrying about my own web image and thought about who else I could find. I decided to start with old friends. Unfortunately, that search yielded nothing too exciting (you'll never guess who's gay now, who's divorced and who looks fabulous after 3 kids)! Then, the inevitable....the great EX search. Gotta pull up all the guys you dated, crushed on, stalked from afar-and hope your winning at life-not the Charlie Sheen kind. Nothing is more depressing than realizing someone is better off without you. =(

My epic investigations were stonewalled by sites that want money to see who's searching for you, and locked profiles with no pictures or bio. Don't get me wrong, I found the people I wanted, but couldn't get any information without "friending" them of some sort first. And that's just bad business. I admit though, I am tempted. It's just  so interesting to see how people have changed-and how some have stayed exactly the same. You get the "Ah, now I remember why we didn't work out" epiphany and the "Aww, I wish you were this person X years ago" syndrome.

Alas, I resisted the urge to connect with the old BF's and browsed through my current friends photos instead. Interesting to learn something new about someone you thought you knew. And a photo is worth a thousand words. Which is why you really need to Google yourself.