How Googlable are you? Computer dependence.

[Loren Booda]

Main Question or Discussion Point

About how may hits on Google refer to you? Do you think future historians will judge us - heroes, villians, fools or nobodies - primarily according to our e-trail?

As the printing press standardized language and calculators redefined numeracy, will computers make us more (or less) independently literate, knowledgeable or sociable?

 

[russ_watters]

Since I use my real name here, I get quite a lot of hits. As it turns out, though, there is someone with the same name who runs a pool/spa business, so about half the hits are of him.

 

[turbo]

Googling on my given name gives 2 relevant links that are not related to my tendency to write letters to the editor. Googling on my nickname and surname yields 15 relevant hits linking to pages relating to my former job running an auction division for a major auctioneer, and to sites featuring my avocations as a rock/blues guitarist and vocalist and tube-amp technician. Our e-trails can be extensive and can be difficult or impossible to erase, so keep your nose clean.

 

[ranger]

Quotes should be placed around your name to get valid hits. I only get 5 hits, all of which are things that I've put up.

 

[Moonbear]

Since I use my real name here, I get quite a lot of hits. As it turns out, though, there is someone with the same name who runs a pool/spa business, so about half the hits are of him.

Oh, darn! And here I was hoping you'd be able to give me a good deal on a pool some day. I think it's somewhat amusing that someone with the name Watters would be in the pool business.

 

[mattmns]

My real name gets about 3 hits that are actually me

 

[radou]

4-5 hits, one of them is me, it's some exam results.

 

[Andre]

:surprised 592

First page is all me. the fourth hit on the second page is finally somebody else.

Edit: that was without parentheses but English pages only, in parentheses in all languages it drops to 499.

 

[Astronuc]

Interesting what one can learn about oneself using Google.

I was trying to figure out how I managed to get on some Executive committee, and I apparently was nominated at some meeting I went to last year. I was so busy don't remember that part. :rofl:

Otherwise, there's a few websites, articles, seminars and conferences.

 

[George Jones]

Googling "George Jones" results in more than a million hits.

 

[turbo]

Bad choice of names, George.:rofl: If you had chosen to be named Elvis Presley, you would have to wade through almost 4M hits, so you're pretty lucky.

 

[MadScientist 1000]

Since I use my real name here, I get quite a lot of hits. As it turns out, though, there is someone with the same name who runs a pool/spa business, so about half the hits are of him.

Not to mention the fact that I regularly see your site.

I get about .00001 hits a day, mainly since I don't like to use my real name.

MadScientist1000 is all you should know.

 

[Moonbear]

Not to mention the fact that I regularly see your site.

I get about .00001 hits a day, mainly since I don't like to use my real name.

MadScientist1000 is all you should know.

I bet a lot of sites come up when you Google "Mad Scientist" though.

 

[moose]

0

I'm surprised.

 

[D H]

164, most of them not me. (It appears a Maryland gambler, an English golfer, and a German footballer have usurped my name.) All that is truly me are few papers and some old Perl contributions. Thank goodness. My google count was a whole lot higher a few years ago when I was the president of our local soccer club. 600 kids, 1000 parents, far too many commitees.

 

[russ_watters]

Oh, darn! And here I was hoping you'd be able to give me a good deal on a pool some day. I think it's somewhat amusing that someone with the name Watters would be in the pool business.

Yeah, clearly I missed my calling. I was in the Navy, though...

Not to mention the fact that I regularly see your site.

I get about .00001 hits a day, mainly since I don't like to use my real name.

Well, most of the hits on my site are due to the fact that I have the URL in my sig on 3 different message boards. The only place my full name actually appears is in my email address (perhaps I should change that....).

In any case, this is a good time to point out that I've been working hard updating my site the past month. I have a lot of good new pictures, including the jaw-dropper of Saturn I posted in the Astronomy forum...

 

[matthyaouw]

Looked through 10 pages, and not one reference to me! I'm quite glad actually :)

 

[dextercioby]

55 for me. Got one in russian, even...

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Schrodinger's Dog gets 1 hit, from this web site. My real name get's nothing, which is good as I need anonimity for my work, well I call it work but really it's more of a hobby....

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I get a few hits, mostly related to my posts on fora. However, there are a number of almost famous people that share my name, most notably Jimmy the Greek. In addition there was a race car driver, a country singer, a bit part movie actor, and a manager of the Seattle Mariners. Also there is an artist with the web page www.jimmysnyder.com[/URL] (it's not me). and the owner of a tanning salon and manufacturer of tanning products (Jimmy Jimmy Coco).

 

[J77]

For my name (in " " marks), I get "about 11,900" :surprised

Lots of the first page point to my work.

 

[BobG]

Three of the first ten and 13 of the 101 instances of my name actually relate to me (including a picture of when our volleyball team won the base championship - that brings back good memories ).

The most exciting one started out, "I was in the shower when it happened...", but it turned out not to be me.

 

[Monique]

About how may hits on Google refer to you? Do you think future historians will judge us - heroes, villians, fools or nobodies - primarily according to our e-trail?

As the printing press standardized language and calculators redefined numeracy, will computers make us more (or less) independently literate, knowledgeable or sociable?

Thirteen hits, all me and all work-related. I think computers make people think they are more knowledgeable and sociable.

What I hate are those sites where you can add people to your 'friends list', every bit of privacy is gone, it is very exhibitionistic. I don't understand why people want to put their personal life on the internet like that, you can go to their profile and follow whole conversations that they have with their friends or partner. If I want to contact someone, I'll use e-mail. I also don't understand the need to call every person you know a friend (people who have over 300 friends), but that is another discussion :tongue2:

 

[turbo]

I also don't understand the need to call every person you know a friend (people who have over 300 friends), but that is another discussion :tongue2:

Same here. I define a friend as a person that I would be genuinely pleased to see if they dropped in unannounced, not just someone that I can have a civil conversation with if I meet them on the street, or share a conversation over a mug of beer. By that measure, I probably have about 20 close friends (as opposed to acquaintances). If they called me with a problem (even late at night), I would help them if I could, and I am confident that they would reciprocate if I needed help. As someone who worked with a great number of people over the years, and who performed in taverns and clubs (guitarist/vocalist/drummer) I have a LOT of acquaintances, some of whom I am on cordial, respectful terms with, but I don't lump them together with my real friends.

 

[MadScientist 1000]

I bet a lot of sites come up when you Google "Mad Scientist" though.

I got 489 with my actualy name, and turns out that only 20 of them are about me.