You Are What You Post

Pharrell’s protege, Teyana Taylor may have been on to something with her 2008 hit, “Google Me.” When is the last time you Googled yourself? Did you like what you saw? Do you give good Google? In a world where everyone we know belongs to at least one social networking site (Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace), it’s time to really start thinking about your online image. 

The truth of the matter is that potential clients, business partners and employers are using Google to peer into places a meeting can’t take them.  At this very moment there is the “real you” (the warm blooded version) – the smart, witty, cute and compassionate soul that all of your friends know & love and then there’s the “online you.” What does she/he look like? What type of online comments are you leaving for romantic interests, friends and family? Although you may be commenting on private pages or blogs, they could potentially pop up in a Google search should someone type in your name. While we’re at it, don’t sleep on Google Images, either! Remember that picture you took at your girl’s bachelorette party? The photo that you wish would go away but much to your chagrin, landed on Facebook? That very picture could easily come up in a Google Images search for the world to see!

As a relatively new blogger with StatPressCN (cool software that shows where readers come from and if there was a search engine that lead them here), I’ve witnessed the Google-mania first hand. You won’t believe how many people end up on In Her Shoes after Googling a name that happened to be mentioned here. In this case, it’s a good look because I’m talking about how amazing you are but in other cases, I’m imagining…not so much! Just a little food for thought: you are what you post!

Exhibit A:

Olympic Athlete Michael Phelps caught online. Was it really worth it, Mike?