Yesterday, on the occasion of my birthday, I googled myself. Not a bad idea for someone who is very private, but will offer her opinion freely on any subject whether invited or not. I remember one particularly spirited virtual debate with a high school classmate during the presidential campaign of 2008: I wondered if that dialog made it to the internet's public record of my life.
Not to worry. My permanent Google record includes this website, a public thank you from a dear friend; a smattering of memberships, publications, and legal documents; notice of my 91-year old mother's recent demise; and reference to my alterego, the Marvel Comics Universe superhero, Dr. Valerie (Val) Cooper, special advisor on national security issues including metahuman affairs. She is basically responsible for keeping track of the universe's mutants.
So I got a chuckle on my birthday as well as some nice memories. My privacy remains intact. It's useful to see how the world sees us through our internet presence. Try it yourself, but first think of how you view yourself and how you would like to be seen by others, and then google yourself or look at your Facebook page objectively. You may not be a superhero like me, but you should be you!
Not to worry. My permanent Google record includes this website, a public thank you from a dear friend; a smattering of memberships, publications, and legal documents; notice of my 91-year old mother's recent demise; and reference to my alterego, the Marvel Comics Universe superhero, Dr. Valerie (Val) Cooper, special advisor on national security issues including metahuman affairs. She is basically responsible for keeping track of the universe's mutants.
So I got a chuckle on my birthday as well as some nice memories. My privacy remains intact. It's useful to see how the world sees us through our internet presence. Try it yourself, but first think of how you view yourself and how you would like to be seen by others, and then google yourself or look at your Facebook page objectively. You may not be a superhero like me, but you should be you!