Weber Shandwick, a Bloomington integrated marketing firm, just released a study called "Risky Business: Reputations Online," analyzing the impact of online reputations on corporations. Researchers found nearly seven out of 10 global executives fear for their corporate reputations as online risks grow.
"I try to Google myself before applying for a job," wrote Dusty Fields on Jason's DeBlog at wcco.com. "If there is any 'dirt' on me, I either try to take it down or develop a good excuse in case the employer Googles me and finds this 'dirt.'"
I have recently been tasked with handling the initial interview process for the new hires in our company... I have to admit, one of the first things I did after reading the resume laying on my desk, was to "google" the person's name. It's interesting to see what comes up. According to an online article by CareerBuilder.com, 33 percent of the recruiters who use social networks in their hiring process (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn) have rejected candidates based on what they found. I can see why! In this day of transparency, there is a real lack of privacy if you are active online at all. When you include other networks like Twitter, etc., your life (at least as posted online) is pretty much an open book. Now that GPS coordinates are being incorporated into iPhone apps like Twinkle and more, not only do people know what you are doing at any given minute, but WHERE you are located. If an irate person wants to track you down, it ain't that hard if you live your life online.
So what do you do if you find negative information about you in a Google search? There's not an easy answer. Proactively controlling your online identity is a good place to start. If you have a blog, search engines rank those extremely highly. That helps guarantee your site ends up on the first page of search results. Putting photos online at a site like Flickr or starting a Facebook page can put those pages at the top of your search results.
Here's an article from "WIKI-HOW" that advises you how to "Ungoogle Yourself":
1. Stop using your full name. The best way to "ungoogle" yourself is to not offer your full name or abbreviate your last name when signing up for online accounts, posting from your blog, or attaching yourself to any content that's published on the Internet. You can also create an online pen name or a screen name to go by.
2. Google yourself to find out what other people are seeing when they search your name. If you have a common name, it's possible that you'll be buried in the search results with all the other "Sarah Smiths" or "Chris Johnsons" in the world. Don't forget to search your name with quotation marks around it, as well as variations that include your middle name or initial.
3.Be careful what you put in blogs - you may get people other than your intended audience reading it. Make changes to the content that's already been indexed by Google with your name on it. Change your name on public profiles that contain your name, such as blogs or social website accounts. Delete any accounts you might no longer use or might contain compromising or personal information.
4. Consider using the "robots" HTML meta tag in your content if you want to continue publishing information under your name but don't want it appearing in Google search results: <meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" /> This only applies if you have your own website and access to the underlying code, as it stops most search engines from indexing (cataloging) your page or following the links on it. The <meta> tag must go in the <head> section of a document in order to work. If you like, you can leave out the "nofollow" bit, which allows the search engines to follow the links, but not index the page. The reverse is also possible.
5. Send an e-mail to the person responsible for a site that you don't directly control and politely ask either to have the content removed or your name changed or obscured. Politely explain your situation, and don't make empty threats about legal action. Just be nice and it shouldn't be a problem.
6. Bury the content you don't want to be found by adding new content or moving existing websites higher up in search results for your name. Most Internet users don't continue browsing past the first 50 search results, or even the first 10, so join a mailing list that's frequently indexed in Google or sign up for some websites that will eventually index your name.
The bottom line: Information is power, and Googling yourself shouldn't be seen as a dirty word.
