Hi there,
Quite a few articles in the last year have pointed out how easy it is
to get the dirt on someone via Google (or other good search engines),
without explaining how it works.
How to find info on yourself using Google
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Just use the regular (free) Google search at http://google.com
You need to let Google know that you are looking for a phrase, by
surrounding the name with "quotes". And you need to think of every
possible way the name might appear on a web page. I suggest searching
for your name using this many variations:
"J Bloggs"
"Joe Bloggs"
"Joe C. Bloggs"
"Joe Casper Bloggs"
"Bloggs, J"
"Bloggs, Joe"
"Bloggs, Joe C"
"Bloggs, Joe Casper"
And do the same using any other variations your first name could have,
like Mike instead of Michael. Also if you are female, use your married
name as well as your birth name.
For each Google search, also click on the Groups tab to see if any
Usenet postings mention your name.
If you have a listed phone number, you might appear in Google if you
enter your name and state in a regular Google search. If you lived in
Texas, try
Joe Bloggs, TX
Don't just use Google. AlltheWeb ( http://www.alltheweb.com ) has
indexed many websites that Google has not (and vice versa).
Be aware that there is a lot of publicly available information on the
Internet which can not be found using Google. Mostly these are
databases. A good introduction to the type of information the
"Invisible Web" contains can be found at:
http://www.invisible-web.net/database.html?sub_category_selected=Public+Records&category_selected=Public+Records
Who is likely to find their name in Google search results?
----------------------------------------------------------
The most common scenarios for finding details about anyone
online are if they:
- are famous
- have their own web site or home page
- volunteer their details to an online directory
- have been mentioned in a news item
- have posted a Usenet message
- left a comment in a guestbook
- are an author or artist
- are profiled by the corporation they work for
- appear in sports results
- are mentioned on a web site belonging to a school or club they are
members of
Articles like the one you read are using fear to sell their story.
While it is possible to "get the dirt" on many folk using Google, for
the majority of regular citizens a Google search for their name will
turn up nothing.
Search strategy: personal experience
Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga |
