Google Thyself

I was in Epoque in Cammeray the other day (great mussels and chips) and happened to see a woman wearing this T-shirt. It made me smile.

Self-Googling is increasingly common, now practiced by 47% of American Internet users, compared to 22% in 2002, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports.

It may seem narcissistic, but keeping track of your 'personal' information online - your so-called 'digital footprint' - makes sense. The same research study, released in December 2007, indicated that 53% of online users had Googled other people, for personal or business reasons. In other words, false, or embarrassing information, or images, come back to bite you.

There's a growing industry in reputation management, with companies like ReputationDefender and the professionally oriented Naymz, helping Internet users bury potentially harmful information.

I've pointed out previously that many people, particularly teens, still don't seem that bothered about many aspects of online privacy. But, managing their image is important to them. It's about being in control of what they share and what they disclose about themselves, in order to be perceived the way they want.