Mirror at Macy's

Personal Brand Activity:

Google Yourself

It’s not vain, it’s strategic.

In fact, it can also help heighten your own security and safety. Googling yourself is the first step to controlling the online conversation about you.

STEP 1: Type your full name within quotations marks into the search bar of Google (or your search engine of choice), e.g. “Adam Rodricks”. If you have a very common name, you may want to add another keyword qualifier such as your location or employer.

STEP 2: Scroll through the results to see which of these results have to do with you, as opposed to someone with the same name.

STEP 3: Evaluate whether the information available about you is advantageous to have shared, or could be to your detriment, e.g. did you intend to have your Facebook profile set to public? Did you want your email address so readily available?
STEP 4: Take note of which results are showing up at the very top as these will likely be used by people who need to make a decision about you, whether that person is a friend, a potential employer or a date.

 

So why does this even matter?

  • 8% of Internet users say they’ve asked someone to remove information about them that was posted online

  • 4% of Internet users say they’ve had a bad experience because of embarrassing or inaccurate information online

Remember, every single thing that you do online has the potential to contribute to your online reputation. What does your search say about you?

Sources

Statistics Credit: https://www.backgroundcheck.org/blog/
Social Media for Learning: https://socialmediaforlearning.com/2018/08/05/the-google-yourself-challenge/


Adam Rodricks