The internet is a marvellous place. If you have forgotten a crucial fact, you can quickly remind yourself by doing a google search or looking in Wikipedia.
I even forget critical bits of information about myself that can be discovered by doing a quick google search for “Bronwen Dekker”.
Today, I was trying to find my very first ever blog to write an answer to the question: Why do you blog?
In so doing I came across this:
Scan Uncovers Thousands of Copycat Scientific Articles
Who would have thought?
Ha – the 21st Century vanity, Googling your own name. I do it a fair bit. Having a ridiculously common name, which is also a type of paint, the real me doesn’t normally feature until about the 40th hit. But I just tried again now, and there I am in fifth place – a new personal best!
He he!
Congratulations on moving yourself up the list!!
My name seems to be pretty much unique—I really wish that I had started plotting the number of “hits” with time right at the beginning as I have gone from 10 to… well quite a lot more than that over the last 2 years!
My husband’s name “Alain Dekker” was also unique until a few years ago when a young Dutch blogger started becoming active. They have been in contact a bit by email… but I digress.
I even forget critical bits of information about myself that can be discovered by doing a quick google search for “Bronwen Dekker”.
oh, this has potential. Offsite backup/storage of psyche. Identikit CVs. Hmm. .. .
Oh Richard, I am laughing and laughing!
When I first set up my gmail account I could not use my “regular” name as a professor from Loughborough University has the same name (rats!) and had got there first. She went quiet after a bit, but very recently I keep finding recipies provided by someone with my name. Definitely not me.
I recently attended a talk by a professor who used some old slides of his that he’d forgotten about but found when Googling himself. So you’re not alone!
There’s an American actor called Jennifer Rohn, and we’ve been battling it out for the top spot for years. At the moment, I’ve got her pushed her down to fifth place…
It seems I’m being overwhelmed by a young actor with a name almost exactly the same as mine, Noah Gray-Cabey. I’m sure that we’ll never be mistaken for one another…
Interestingly, I was able to infiltrate Mr. Gray-Cabey’s Google dominance and take spot eight. And what do you think that link is? That’s right, my Nature Network profile page!
These days Google has personalized searches so if you are signed in its quite possible links related to you will appear higher up if you have clicked on them before. I don’t know if it is a blessing or a curse but my name in quotes gives the entire first page about me.
Forget Google—it’s all about finding your Facebook twin/s and “friend-ing” them all!
Oh Facebook is so yesterday’s news.
Maxine,
a professor from Loughborough University has the same name (rats!)
- that’s a very strange name.
Of course I share a name with a famous (deservedly so) actor, and my middle initial did mutate to an ‘E’ (from ‘P’) on a manuscript and poster last month. . . still, searching Richard P Grant (no quotes) gets me on 3 of the top 4 googles, but Richard Grant alone does not appear until the second page (and is Nature Network; the only place where I am P-less).
It does appear that ‘Richard Grant’ writes/wrote science fiction, so I shall be using a nom de plume when my fiction is published. Mwah hah hah.
Bronwen, I don’t keep a list of publications for myself: I just use Pubmed and Google.
These activities even have names. See egosurfing and Google twin.
My Google nemesis is Brian Clegg, proprietor of Brian Clegg Educational Products of Rochdale, Lancashire (unnervingly, where I come from), who usually gets the top spot, I suspect by having brianclegg.co.uk
But having just looked, thanks to Google putting their ‘books by’ entry above everything else, I’ve knocked him off the top. As I believe they used to say in Viz: phnar, phnar.
I really should be revising a manuscript about frog fat. But after reading this, and googling myself, I feel the need to go and laugh manically.
I calmed down enough to blog my discovery. Now back to the obese froggies.
I’m all over the internet like a cheap suit, having pretty much cornered the market in Henry Gees, though namesakes of note include Henry Gee, a scholar on Elizabethan church history; Henry Gee (1842-1924), shoe manufacturer (load of old cobblers, evidently); Henry Gee, a Victorian missionary; Henry Gee, a resident of Rotheley, Leics (famous as the former home of missing toddler Madeleine McCann); Henry Gee, a printing company in Barking; Henry Gee, a possibly eminent Mancunian, and Henry Gee, founder of Chester racecourse. I am related to none of these Gees, and neither am I a scion of gents clothiers Cecil Gee. My father, though, told me just this morning that he was in a barbershop in Norwich when the barber asked him is he were related to that Gee who writes about dinosaurs and is sometimes on the radio. I think that must be me.
Whenever I feel lonely, I Google myself …
... to notice that I am alone
Google gives me “circa 273” hits, bit if I browse through the pages it stops after 25 hits. What about the others? All of the 25 refer to me. Most of them are university pages.
Dead link Bob.
My Google nemesis is Graham Steel, cryptographic security dude across in Edinburgh.
As a result, I often get called Dr Graham Steel. I also get a few emails a year addressed to Prof. Graham Steel which is always a hoot.
When I started blogging, I chose the name McDawg as a unique identifier. Turns out I’m diking it out with a Quinton McDawg, sports blogger from Georgia.
Well, my Google twins are (among others) a carpenter/wood seller, a student that worked with energy saving bus engines, an interior designer, a motor crosser, but above all a guy who likes to call himself “Sam Keathan” and eat Vol-au-vent
This is an interesting way to spend a few minutes… but there are too many Hannah Clarks! Apparently, I could also be a jeweller, an award-winning stage designer, one of the Clarks of Clark Rd., or the first person to have their own heart restarted after rejection of a donor heart. I only come up with my Nature Network profile (about 35th) or with my graduation ceremony details (if I also include my middle name) – how boring! Maybe I should consider a lifestyle change?!
I had always thought that it was a positive thing that there was only one “Bronwen Dekker” on the internet, but looking at all of these comments, it seems rather boring that I cannot “friend” any facebook twins or dip into the life of a google-twin! :)
My maiden name is perhaps a bit interesting as it is “Page” so you get hits that say things like “Bronwen’s page…”. Am glad on balance that I changed it.
Anyone tried spock for this?
Just tried it, Hilary. It worked for me! I was the first person with my name returned. There were some strange ones below me, though. And, on the right, there was this:
Maxine’s Sex Toy Shop
For All Your Adult Sex Supplies
Sex Toys, Bondage Gear & Rabbits
Rabbits?
Yes, we’ve all done it. I purposely changed my name when I got married. I’m the only Etchevers H on Medline for the moment – nearly the only Etchevers altogether, and generally come out alright on Google as well. However, I happily share my maiden name with, among others, a fantastic-sounding professional percussionist who figures high up on any searches folks from middle school might to find me.