Vanity Search

[Plane Sailing]

Back in 1995 a search on my name would turn up my websites. Nowadays it returns 45 million + results and I'm nowhere to be seen. And I'm cool with that.

Cheers

 

[Aeson]

A search for my name comes up with some rapper in Michigan.

 

[Pbartender]

How big a presence does your real name have on the Web? A Google search for my real name brings up a lot of hits, but only 2 instances are actually me -- and they're both 10+ years old. I consider this a good thing, as I really don't want my name (or image) to be all over the Internet.

Do you want your name and image all over the Internet? Do you want to keep your name and image relatively private (off the Internet)? Do you not care one way or another?

My foot print is pretty small on the net, but I honestly don't worry about it too much.

It's a lot easier to get information on someone than most people think. For example, (and just to warn you) using only the information provided in your first post in this thread, it took about 30 seconds to find your name, your home address, your phone number, a map of your neighborhood, and a photo of your front yard.

If someone wants to find your information, they will and can. It's a better trick to make yourself seem not worth finding.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

My foot print is pretty small on the net, but I honestly don't worry about it too much.

It's a lot easier to get information on someone than most people think. For example, (and just to warn you) using only the information provided in your first post in this thread, it took about 30 seconds to find your name, your home address, your phone number, a map of your neighborhood, and a photo of your front yard.

If someone wants to find your information, they will and can. It's a better trick to make yourself seem not worth finding.

Since I use my username very often, I almost suspect I am more likely to find something regarding me with that name than my real name. I keep my real name mostly out of it, though it is in my e-mail adresses, and I use it for websites where I have to use my real name. My real name isn't really uncommon in Germany, though, there are 483.000 hits on Google for it, and I doubt any of them is me.

Heck, I was even so paranoid to change my username on the Bundestag Petitition site so people can't easily correlate that username with my other online usernames and me.

 

[Bullgrit]

Email sent to Pbartender to find out how he did it.

Bullgrit

 

[Pbartender]

Email sent to Pbartender to find out how he did it.

I haven't gotten your email yet, but I did PM you with the details...

 

[ProfessorPain]

Email sent to Pbartender to find out how he did it.

Bullgrit

I think it is because you have a website called Bullgrit.com

 

[Bullgrit]

Thanks for the response Pbartender.

As someone who appreciates privacy, honestly, the Internet sometimes scares me.

Bullgrit

 

[ProfessorPain]

Thanks for the response Pbartender.

As someone who appreciates privacy, honestly, the Internet sometimes scares me.

Bullgrit

I used to do interviews with people, and all it usually took to get someone's personal info was a simple google search with the right key words.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If I use my first and last name, I get pages and pages of people in France and other francophone and a few spanish-speaking countries.

If I add my middle initial, I pop up in my Grandfather's obituary (as a surviving grandchild), various "find a lawyer" pages, and an opinion piece I published at Star City Games in 2002.

No site I've found lists my home address; the "lawyer" pages do list my business address.

If, however, I search for my home address, I do find my name listed- go figure.

I can live with that.