Googling People

Thursday, November10, 2011. That is the date I published a blog discussing the difference between searching and stalking. Another article has come out since and is perfect for my final blog. “The dos and don’ts of Googling people” is an article that elaborates more on the issue and explains the correct etiquette to follow when Googling. There is a definite difference between Googling your work contacts, your date and yourself. 

Looking up work contacts on Google is completely acceptable according to the article. One should want to know who they are working with and what they are all about. If they can find information about them online, it may be beneficial to their relationship at work. However, people do have to be weary of what they bring up at work. Be careful about bringing up subjects that may be touchy. If it is a borderline topic, do not bring it up unless they bring it up. 

Looking up your date is acceptable to a point. It is okay to look up someone to confirm their identity or to get some points of interest to talk about. Once that information is found, one should exit the browser. Any more digging and that may classify one as a creeper. Let that person convey themselves through the date after the initial information is found. 

Looking up your information on Google is very beneficial. The technological age we live in gives us access to essentially any persons information. One has to be careful of what they put out online. Googling yourself can show you just what kind of dirt the internet has on you. Someday your future employers may search Google and see something that you don’t want them to see. This gives you some time to clean up what Google brings up about you. The article shares that you should set up a Google Alert for your name to make sure you aren’t being confused with anybody else. Click on the Google Alert link to learn more. 

It seems silly to be talking about the acceptable etiquette when Googling people, but it apparently has become a problem. Using the correct etiquette may save you in the future. However, don’t overuse Google and become a stalker. It might also be a good idea to Google yourself. Clean up your image on Google before your future relationships and employers get the wrong impression.

?Social Media Stalking?

"Online, there's a fine line between searching and stalking". Reading and re-reading that title makes me wonder about our use of social media. The amount of information one can find about another is scary. Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz, producers of the blog and book “Stuff Hipsters Hate”, are very helpful in the world of digital communication. They have talked about how to deal with online stalkers and even answered user submitted questions about using the internet to find someone. Does using the internet to find someone make one a stalker? Ehrlich and Bartz answer the question! 

Ehrlich and Bartz explain that it all depends on the context of how one uses the information. They explain that if one has common occurrences with the person then it is okay to pursue them. However, one has to be careful of how they track someone online. One example included Facebook. Searching for someone online and finding their Facebook is a common incident. They shared that it is okay to send the person a quick inbox message and friend request. From there, one has to wait for a response or acceptance of the request.

They share that the information found online is usually put out there by people who don’t mind being found. Men will probably be flattered by the experience and thrive off it. Everyone on Facebook has the ability to make their profile private. If they didn’t want to be found, their information would be locked up. Ehrlich and Bartz share that the same procedure should be used upon finding an email address. However, if one doesn’t find the email address easily, they should give up. One may be considered a stalker if they find an email address hidden within the pages of Google. 

The article is very interesting. It shows that we need to be careful of what we put online and how we use the internet to interact with people. Using the internet to find somebody is totally acceptable, but obsessive searching may move someone into the stalker category. Mainly, this is just a friendly reminder to be careful of the information one puts out there. Too much may be detrimental, but too little may affect one as well. Tune into Ehrlich and Bartz! They are two funny ladies!