It’s time to rename the vanity search. The current name, along with ego search, implies that you are doing this out of narcissism. You are so vain that you need to continually Google yourself to see if you really exist. That type of thinking shows a complete misunderstanding of the vital importance of Google’s results to every individual, organization, and business. To most people, Google is now reality. If you aren’t in Google, you have no importance. If Google contains negative mentions of your name, that is now part of your “permanent record.” This may sound excessive, but let’s take a look at some of the ways your Google reputation can affect your life:
- Getting a job
- Getting into college
- Getting a date
- Getting a loan
- Getting tenure
- Renting an apartment
- Joining a members only club
- Becoming a Boy Scout leader
- Working in your children’s school as a volunteer
- Having your children’s friends over to play at your house
I’ll leave the public policy implications of this for the politicians to debate. What is clear is that your Google reputation is at least as important as your credit report, and may become more so over time. Maintaining a Google Alert on the name of your company, organization, or business is not vanity or ego gratification, it is a basic reality of modern life.
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