Post: #1

Anyone can be googled, but for someone with an uncommon name it's much easier to find results that pertain to them.

If you stay away from social media, stay out of trouble, work at a place that doesn't involve themselves with the community, it's possible to avoid google for the most part (although even a speeding ticket in some jurisdictions can be viewed via google search).

Assuming you have an uncommon name, Is it good or bad if you "can't be googled at all"? Even after all permutations including your city, state, college you went to are included?

Or will people think you're in some sort of Witness Protection or using a fictitious name?

It seems like for most people, you can at least find a LinkedIn and Facebook page easily if you type in their name followed by city/state, then usually some sort of Intelius people search link.

Also, because of google anyone can flood the search results however they'd like so anything can be attributed to your name in search results.

This day & age, it's actually a good thing if your name is "Tom Smith". Agree/disagree?

Post: #2

Agree that "Tom Smith" is a good name.

I think you can lock down most social media profiles so full names don't appear in google searches.

My take is that I would try to stay out of google unless you've got some bad info on the interwebz and then I would try to get a bunch of profiles and stuff to rank higher and push the bad info to the 2nd page of google.

Post: #3

That's what they tell you, but not on facebook.

You can stop your own profile from appearing on facebook that links to your profile. However, if you comment on a page (or even "like) and have even a slightly uncommon name, that can link to your name and someone can find you by going to that page, even if they can't find your profile directly via google.

What happens is, that page shows up and person searching for you can see what you "liked" or commented on.

Post: #4

(08-12-2013 06:19 PM)la_mode Wrote:  That's what they tell you, but not on facebook.

You can stop your own profile from appearing on facebook that links to your profile. However, if you comment on a page (or even "like) and have even a slightly uncommon name, that can link to your name and someone can find you by going to that page, even if they can't find your profile directly via google.

What happens is, that page shows up and person searching for you can see what you "liked" or commented on.

Yeah I doubt you can keep a low profile if you use facebook or any google products.

Post: #5

Try googling "site:facebook.com Your Name", for example, to find publicly visible facebook info. My profile can't be found by a google search, but some of my activity on other pages shows up easily.

Of course, I don't use my real name for social networking. This is against FB rules, but they've only caught me at it once so far, and that was when I made a stink about a bug in their software during the early years ('06 or so). And honestly, one's "real name" is at one's own discretion, as long as one is not attempting fraud, so this particular rule could be fought in court, if anyone cared to.

Nothing shows up in a google search for my *real* name (the one on my driver's license) that would help identify or locate me in any way. A paid search by a company like Intelius would definitely find some (partly correct) info.

Moral: obfuscate like you mean it.

Post: #6

I can't be googled at all. No Facebook. No LinkedIn. No google+.

Post: #7

(08-12-2013 08:04 PM)A War You Cannot Win Wrote:  I can't be googled at all. No Facebook. No LinkedIn. No google+.

Most who aren't on any of those still usually have a Mylife.com listing, which can show up. A common name can offset this if you live in a bigger city. It usually will show your name, age, and city, so if your name is slightly uncommon it's probably you. Some listings even show relatives. It's tough to opt-out of those, they will get mad.

If you don't even have a mylife.com listing, then you are truly in the small minority of not able to be googled.

Post: #8

http://abine.com/ has some stuff that might help. I have only used their free products but they work well.

Post: #9

A Google search of my government issued name results in a shit load of mugshots by upstanding citizens.

Post: #10

Double post.

Post: #11

There are thousands of people with my first and last name combination so it's insanely hard to find anything about me online. If you put in my entire name and hometown though, I'll come up in the local newspaper for having honors in high school. That's about it. There's really nothing that people can glean about me from a simple Google search.

Post: #12

People with a unique name, and in fact many others as well, have a good opportunity to shape their online presence. In fact I'm amazed I've never heard of consultants who work to specifically mold the online presence of clients. Obviously PR agencies do this, or try to, for celebrities. But I'm talking about a general everyman's type of consulting service. Fee probably couldn't be higher than a couple 100 $'s.

Post: #13

(08-13-2013 09:49 AM)Bad Hussar Wrote:  People with a unique name, and in fact many others as well, have a good opportunity to shape their online presence. In fact I'm amazed I've never heard of consultants who work to specifically mold the online presence of clients. Obviously PR agencies do this, or try to, for celebrities. But I'm talking about a general everyman's type of consulting service. Fee probably couldn't be higher than a couple 100 $'s.

It's really not that hard to "seed" google with information if you want to be relevant.

I'd say it's a double edge sword. Google yourself in parenthesis and see what pops up.

My last name has an accent I use on everything. If you substitute it out, you get a dead search.

Post: #14

scores of links come up for me. old pictures, current pictures, quotes, linked in, articles, all kinds of stuff and i dont cultivate an online presence, opposite - twitter facebook blocked to public.

but i am at the top of my field and have been relevant in my town for many years.

its a major DHV that happens all the time when I meet someone new. chicks always google you. i'm quoted in the washington post, featured in other smaller publications, have won public awards, hell, even have an award named after me.

instant cred.

recently I just had a girl text me after googling me "omg, who ARE you??"

to the extent that you can get other people talking good things about you online, i'd really push that angle

Post: #15

Hmm, my name appears in published sports results from over a decade ago. I never knew.

Post: #16

Anyone try this trick?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdneEKrYUVY

Post: #17

A simply search for "roosh" reveals everything. I used a fake name for a while but it didn't feel natural to me. Right now I spell my name in cyrillic to Ukrainian/Russian girls, which seems to help. I also introduce myself as my birth name, since googling that online doesn't show THIS: