The Ultimate Vanity Search
Lest you think the following is excessively weird, it's not my fault. I got the idea from none other than John Scalzi.
I'm sure I'm the only person reading this blog who's ever typed his own name into Google just to see what comes back. If you've done it, too (typed your name, that is, not mine), it's OK. Narcissism is a universal human trait, but you can also call it "research" if it makes you feel better.
Anyway, something that makes you feel even better than seeing a bunch of links referencing you is when Google itself assumes that someone wants to search for your name and goes out of its way to help. Exhibit A:
That's right: when I intentionally misspelled my name, Google asked if I was actually looking for, well, me*.
Now, even I would have a hard time getting enthused about this but for the fact that there are actually plenty of people with the name I typed in. The only logical inference from this is that it really is all about me.
G'ahead...give it a try using your own misspelled name. I already know of at least two of my blogging buds for whom this will yield ego-stroking results.
*Of course, I'm intentionally discounting the likelihood that there are many other more important people in the world who share my name, and Google is actually referring to one or all of them.
Yeah, I'm an edgy guy, alright.
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 09:37 AMI do this periodically, but it's more to make sure my real name doesn't come up - which so far is working pretty well. (Well, there are a few hits, but they're buried pretty deeply.) Still...it's kinda fun. :)
And we already knew it was all about you Eric, why do you think we're here? ;)
Posted by: beth at January 29, 2008 11:08 AMwhy do you think we're here?
Nice try, but we both know it's all about Abbye.
You really do periodic searches on misspellings of your name? Wow. I feel better. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 11:33 AMGoogle likes me, ... or knows me... or whatever.
It is nice that at least someone (or a silicon someone) knows how to spell my name, now if only I can get my creditors to pronounce it right.
Posted by: Jon at January 29, 2008 12:42 PMWow. Google corrects me too!
But there really is a David Gertsman.
Posted by: soccer dad at January 29, 2008 01:12 PMWhat fun! Google misspelled my name.
Posted by: dale at January 29, 2008 01:58 PMJon, I thought it was better if your creditors couldn't identify you at all!
SD, I failed to include some of the other Google results that show that there are a number of "Eric Seigmunds," including a hockey player and a champion onion eater. (I don't even want to think about the training that goes into either one of those things.)
Dale, you should email Google and ask them to correct that. I think they'd appreciate the feedback.
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 03:24 PMMaybe I've been spelling it wrong all these years. I've been spelling it for everyone I've ever told it to since first grade. I could have been wrong and the teacher never told me.
Posted by: dale at January 29, 2008 04:29 PMWell, maybe so, but are there really that many ways to spell "Dale"? Lessee...there's "Dael," "Dayul," "Dail," "Dayel." Oh, and I know someone named "Dayle."
What's that you say? Oh. I see.
Never mind.
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 04:36 PMWith my real name, since I share it with a 18th-19th century historical figure of international note, lets just say I gave up after 20 pages of google search results. I have to add "Midland" to get a result within the first 5 pages.
Now, with my blogging nickname...that is another matter.
Posted by: ospurt at January 29, 2008 05:18 PMAs for misspelling, if I substitute the wrong vowel, it suggest my correct name. Though, not so for alternate spellings.
Posted by: ospurt at January 29, 2008 05:22 PMSo, the lesson here is that you have to correctly misspell your name in order to make Google do your bidding. That smacks of federal bureaucratic involvement.
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 05:27 PMGoogle only knows me by my maiden name (and then, only if I spell it correctly and only in the shallowest sense of knowing), but if I go to Google Images, I get this. Where's the love?
Posted by: gwynne at January 29, 2008 09:38 PMYeah, that's harsh. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at January 29, 2008 10:23 PMMy misspelling sent me to an obituary column. I read it, of course, to make sure it wasn't me.
Posted by: Phyllis at January 29, 2008 11:31 PMSo...don't keep us in suspense! ;-)
Posted by: Eric at January 30, 2008 06:45 AMEric, re: "I failed to include some of the other Google results that show that there are a number of "Eric Seigmunds," including a hockey player and a champion onion eater. (I don't even want to think about the training that goes into either one of those things.)"
That's not so bad ..... MINE pulled-up a former Green Beret and physician who was convicted of mudering his family ..... remember the "Fatal Vision" guy?
Posted by: Jeff at January 30, 2008 09:21 AM...remember the "Fatal Vision" guy?
Sounds vaguely familiar. But I still say that a guy who eats onions for a living is scarier.
Posted by: Eric at January 30, 2008 09:41 AMMine comes up with a blogger profile but if it is me...Can't say. :)
Posted by: Rachel at January 31, 2008 02:19 PMAbout the publisher
Random Abbye photos...
"Glove Box Stories" is Back!
Eel on a Wheel
Meteorological Musings
Random Thursday
Is stupidity the Net effect?
More Invaders
Back Yard Birds
Book Review: "The Year of Living Biblically"
Sometimes, you get lucky...
June Sunset
It's Official...
Google's new favicon rocks the design world
Give the Gift of Flame
The Incredible Shrinking Math Skills
The Neighborhood:
West Texas Blogs:
[Midland unless otherwise indicated]
Other Texas Blogs:
The Business:
The Church:
The World:
Eric, I tried Googling your name ..... but Cyber Nanny wouldn't let us access most of the sites that came up.
:-)
Posted by: Jeff at January 29, 2008 07:35 AM