Everyone does it. And if they say they don't do it, they are probably lying. Some people like to talk about it, others would rather keep it to themselves. There are a few different techniques, but most people go about it the same way. And this week, I feel I am ready to come clean and discuss my once private activities with the rest of the vocal minority. Yes, I have Googled myself, and I am here to tell the world about it.
This is not the first time it's happened. I Googled myself for the first time during my senior year of high school. I had honest intentions; I wanted to see if I could find the person who 'stole' my would-be e-mail address, erincanty@hotmail.com.
I had teenage visions of finding the other Erin and spamming her with photos of me shaking my fist in angst until she submitted and relinquished the address. As you can tell by my e-mail at the bottom of this column, my plan was foiled. The Erin with my e-mail address was a lacrosse coach in Missouri and she looked like she could take me in a virtual fight. But despite my grim results, I was hooked.
After my first time, I looked myself up about once a month. Not only would I search to see if anything new had been added, but I would look up family, friends and even potential friends. Truth be told, before I met my dorm roommate freshman year I looked her up on Google. It was my way to learn more about her without putting in real effort. It was a non-social person's weapon of choice, even better than facebook.com.
Thanks to this column and my job, I am the first thing that comes up when I search for myself. It is a nice feeling, knowing that you are the most-searched of your name. I liken it to receiving a gold medal or watching your children being born. However, I may be guessing about those sensations.
Regardless, now that I have reached the pinnacle of search engine success, I have resigned to learning about the other Erin Cantys out there. What are they doing? How are they using our name to impact the world?
One of them is a volleyball player at a Catholic college in California. According to her stats she is pretty awesome. There are a bunch of sports-clich??-laden articles about her 'dominating the court.'
My favorite Erin Canty is the founder and proprietor of the Canty Dance Centre in Webster, Mass. Apparently, she danced with the Alvin Ailey dance company and is taking classes for Broadway. Both women are Erin Cantys that are doing the name justice and that helps me sleep better at night.
It is odd to consider the countless number of Erin Cantys out there. They went through nickname troubles, had pronunciation issues and probably had the same difficulty playing the animal name game, (elephant, emu?? is an egg an animal?) I know that there are probably thousands out there, and maybe they are thinking about me. Or more likely, they are wondering why I am stalking them online.
No matter what people say or think, Googling is a great way to investigate learn, grow and waste time. In comparison to other activities, it isn't too crazy or weird. And hey, unlike other obsessions involving the Internet, after you Google yourself, at least you avoid sticky substances on your keyboard.
