So, I met this guy … we’ll call him Kevin. So this Kevin character, I’m not sure what it was about him but something just seemed off so I decided to google him. Yes it’s 2009, I google people to find some credibility.
Beyond two incomplete social networking profiles with very few friends I could not find any signs of this guy. So then I began to ask myself, if google can’t find you do you really exist? Obviously I don’t mean this literally. But really, did this guy give me a fake name or is it possible to not be on google’s radar?
I think it is quite possible. If you find little or nothing I think that is ok. The only time you need to be concerned is if what you did find was something horrible. Not everyone has the interest or inclination to place profiles of themselves onto the internet. Some will possibly avoid it due wishing to keep their lives private from the online community, others might not see the point unless it serves a purpose. Some people just prefer to see people face to face than rather in the online world.
The point being, whether they have an online presence or not isn’t an issue. It is what kind of online precence they have that is important.
It’s definitely possible to avoid being on google’s radar, in a way. For my own privacy and security I was very diligent about using only my first name or my made-up last name (Blonde). It worked great until I became responsible for sending out press releases for my employer, which quickly took over my full name results.
I’m in a really interesting position now in that my name will soon be changing. My name will no longer be completely unique, so I’ll have to work my way up to the top of the serps for it! This won’t be hard, but I’m going to put a lot of thought into which online profile/presence I want to leverage the most. This is possibly the geekiest thing about getting married :)
a lot of it depends on age i think. i dated a guy last summer that was 34 and he wasn’t on any social networking sites. NOT ONE.
and YES i googled him. i think in this techy world we live in that is completely normal.
LOL this is so true….. i have def. done that many times, plus googling myself, which i realize i dont really come up except under my blogger name. But that is funny to say, but its like if you cant facebook and google them, are they real!? lol good luck!
He obviously doesn’t exist! Who isn’t on Google? ;-)
I have dozens of friends who are not indexed anywhere online. Some of them are on Facebook–but many are not there, either.
Of course they exist. So does your Kevin.
Oh, it’s absolutely possible! I think that actually not being on Google’s radar. Either he uses a fake name online or he just doesn’t have a LinkedIn and Twitter and searchable Facebook. I think that if you didn’t turn up anything, it’s a good sign, because at least you didn’t find guzzling beer pictures or scam warnings.
How existential. Some people can set everything to private and request not be listed by search engines. I can’t help googling people I meet also, it’s that natural curiosity coupled with potential truckloads of accessible information. It’s like an automatic background screening check.
I agree with Kristi. He must have known you’d google his ass and gave you a fake name..
Ooh, good question. Maybe he’s just not online much? Unfortunately, all the stuff I get when I google my full name is a bunch of junk stuff (related to work). The juicy stuff all comes when you google my first name (okay, it’s not juicy, it’s just personal).
funny thing is…i cant find any info on myself!! i found my whole entire family listed together EXCEPT MY NAME! what does this mean?? Im 18 so i should be listed, dont you think?
funny thing is…i cant find any info on myself!! i found my whole entire family listed together EXCEPT MY NAME! what does this mean?? Im 18 so i should be listed, dont you think?