Do you Google your name?

[Joanne Vergin]

Sometimes I Google my name to see what comes up. Ever since I joined Naznet my name comes up frequently. Is there anything I can do? Sometime I would not want the general public to see a prayer request or something. Is this just something we have to bare as Naznetters?

[Gary Swartzlander]

It's just part of participating in the world wide web. If you don't want the world to see it don't post it here.

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

It's just part of participating in the world wide web. If you don't want the world to see it don't post it here.

nope - not totally true. Other forums of which i partcipate - none of my posts show up when i google.

[Joanne Vergin]

nope - not totally true. Other forums of which i partcipate - one of my posts show up when i google.
yes, This never happens with Yahoo for instance. That's why I wondered about it here.

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

To me, it is fun to google a name. The first time I googled Dwayne Hood, I was told about a Dwayne Hood just being released from prison.
In 2006 I googled Lane and Mississippi to see if I could find information about one of our best friend's family. Another Lane that we loved dearly, but had not heard from in a long time, came up. He had passed away in March, and later he was featured in the Pensions and Benevolent News that we receive.

[Brad Mercer]

When I Google my name, the first link that pops up is my profile on NazNet. It takes a while for something to pop up on Google. Yesterday's news events don't normally appear when I Google them. And none of my actual NazNet posts are in the first page of results when I search my name.

I do, however, find a Brad Mercer band and a Presbyterian pastor in Jackson, Mississippi named Brad Mercer.

I would never, under any circumstances, put information on the web, especially in a site that wasn't restricted by login and password protection, if I was worried about anyone seeing it. Anyone can view a post on NazNet, so you should never assume that what you post here will only be seen by other people who post here. More than one person has caused themselves a little heartache here by gossiping about people they didn't think would see it, for instance.

Brad

[Marsha Lynn]

Sometimes I Google my name to see what comes up. Ever since I joined Naznet my name comes up frequently. Is there anything I can do? Sometime I would not want the general public to see a prayer request or something. Is this just something we have to bare as Naznetters?

More so for some than others. When I google your name, Joanne, I only get 13 hits and the first three trace back to NazNet. You have an unusual name. For Brad, there are 697 hits. The second is his NazNet profile, but the next NazNet reference is on the 2nd page of hits. When I google my own name, I get 21,400 hits. That's because it picks up all of the Marsha Lynn Browns and Marsha Lynn Smiths and such. Genealogy pages account for quite a few of the hits. Even in all that, my NazNet profile is the #1 hit, which I find a bit disconcerting. But the next hit that actually traces back to me is at the bottom of the second page - a NazNet post.

Echoing Brad, we all need to be aware of the fact that we're talking into an open microphone and have no idea who may tune in and read our posts. Several NazNetters have learned that lesson the hard (painful) way through the years, even before Google included NazNet hits. The Nazarene grapevine extends even further than Google.

The longevity of vbulletin threads makes this more of an issue than under the old software in which threads expired and disappeared after a set time. Now we need to be aware not only that what we write is open to all, we also need to realize that it will still be here in a searchable form a year from now.

There are basically two ways to respond to all of this 'NazNet sunshine':

Stick to shallow subjects that reveal nothing about you.
Choose openness.


Either way, we need to take care for the privacy and sensitivity of others. In a recent thread, Pete changed the details of the concern of a friend of his and requested that we refrain from trying to decipher the real issue and persons involved. That's simply a courtesy when bringing this friend's concern out into the open - both for the friend and for the third person involved. For discussions with less of a negative aspect, it still might be good to avoid including highly-searchable phrases that will bring people here while searching for other things. For example, although it's no secret where I live and work, I intentionally don't include the name of the library in NazNet posts because it could come up as a 'false hit' among the 500 hits that come back from a search for information about the library. It helps keep my work identity separate from my NazNet identity in Google.

I suspect that preachers, published writers, and public performers all frequently deal with privacy issues. How much, for instance, should a humorist use their immediate family as subjects in their humor? If I want to write about how men will never stop and ask for directions, a personal illustration about my husband will bring life to my words and entertain my audience, but it might embarrass my husband (who actually rarely demonstrates that sort of stereotypical behavior). How I balance personal illustrations and generalities will involve several factors, including the reaction of my family and friends to such things. Love has to rule.

Marsha

[David Cash]

We had a slow day at work the other day, and our office manager came up with a web site that would tell how many people share you name. I had plenty, a coworker with a more common name had very many, and one of my coworkers doesn't exist. At least that's what the web site said.

When I Google my own name, there's a guy with a doctorate who has a stronger intenet presence and a former baseball player whose names come up before me.

David Cash

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

More so for some than others. When I google your name, Joanne, I only get 13 hits and the first three trace back to NazNet. You have an unusual name. For Brad, there are 697 hits. The second is his NazNet profile, but the next NazNet reference is on the 2nd page of hits. When I google my own name, I get 21,400 hits. That's because it picks up all of the Marsha Lynn Browns and Marsha Lynn Smiths and such. Genealogy pages account for quite a few of the hits. Even in all that, my NazNet profile is the #1 hit, which I find a bit disconcerting. But the next hit that actually traces back to me is at the bottom of the second page - a NazNet post.

Echoing Brad, we all need to be aware of the fact that we're talking into an open microphone and have no idea who may tune in and read our posts. Several NazNetters have learned that lesson the hard (painful) way through the years, even before Google included NazNet hits. The Nazarene grapevine extends even further than Google.

The longevity of vbulletin threads makes this more of an issue than under the old software in which threads expired and disappeared after a set time. Now we need to be aware not only that what we write is open to all, we also need to realize that it will still be here in a searchable form a year from now.

There are basically two ways to respond to all of this 'NazNet sunshine':

Stick to shallow subjects that reveal nothing about you.
Choose openness.


Either way, we need to take care for the privacy and sensitivity of others. In a recent thread, Pete changed the details of the concern of a friend of his and requested that we refrain from trying to decipher the real issue and persons involved. That's simply a courtesy when bringing this friend's concern out into the open - both for the friend and for the third person involved. For discussions with less of a negative aspect, it still might be good to avoid including highly-searchable phrases that will bring people here while searching for other things. For example, although it's no secret where I live and work, I intentionally don't include the name of the library in NazNet posts because it could come up as a 'false hit' among the 500 hits that come back from a search for information about the library. It helps keep my work identity separate from my NazNet identity in Google.

I suspect that preachers, published writers, and public performers deal with privacy issues such as this frequently. How much, for instance, should a humorist use their immediate family as subjects in their humor? If I want to write about how men will never stop and ask for directions, a personal illustration about my husband will bring life to my words and entertain my audience, but it might embarrass my husband (who actually rarely demonstrates that sort of stereotypical behavior). How I balance personal illustrations and generalities will involve several factors, including the reaction of my family and friends to such things. Love has to rule.

Marsha


To echo, Marsha - there are those who will prompt you and even try to muscle you to share more than you should. i have been caught in that before. Interesting enough, if you notice - the ones who prompt and muscle rarely ever post personal information about the subjects of which they push you to share.

[Joel Merrill]

When LeAnne was a teenager, she was very wild and we had a great deal of trouble with her. I won't go into the story but we had to put her in a group home for a couple years for her own protection. We did it voluntarily but the only option we were given to pay was garnishment of my pay. They wouldn't take payment any other way. I just found a web site where I can view state court records. I typed in my name and I am listed, Joel Merrill vs The State Iowa and it says pay garnishment or something like that. I don't remember the exact words. It gives no farther details which I'm glad for but it looks bad. Our credit has already been questioned because of that. My credit record is squeaky clean except for that and I have never even got a traffic ticket. I don't like it that that is public record and I wish there was a way to clear it.

Joel :basic04

[Dave McClung]

Sometimes I Google my name to see what comes up. Ever since I joined Naznet my name comes up frequently. Is there anything I can do? Sometime I would not want the general public to see a prayer request or something. Is this just something we have to bare as Naznetters?

It is true that Google makes what you post on NazNet easy to find, but if you worry about that you should never write down anything. Anything you write down is discoverable in litigation.

Most lawyers advise their clients to keep careful written notes. After trying a couple of law suits in which such notes became major issues, I changed my advise. I advised my clients to keep notes only of things that you wouldn't mind being disclosed in court. Never write down anything that is unfavorable about yourself.

I know it is popular for folks to keep Journals of their deepest thoughts. Do you know that such Journals are discoverable? In litigation you could be required to deliver those Journals to your opponent and they could be read in open court.

If you feel that you must write down things that you don't want discovered, write them in a note to your lawyer, your doctor or your pastor. At the end, put, "I am writing this for the purpose of seeking your professional advise."

[Carsten Schermuly]

I also do not like to see some of my stories listed in search engines.
But
There are some other Carsten Schermulys, making it a bit confusing - and under this foresign I can live with.
Internet is public. I could shut my mouth. Done.

On the other side,
there are a bunch of well working webmaster devices, to teach a spider how to jump over prayer requests or other personally details.