Google says give me more info
April 21, 2009 1:32 PM Subscribe
Profiles. Google's answer to control what comes up when people Google you. A brief listing of four profiles appears at the bottom of name search result pages.
There is talk that this may be part of a social media strategy by Google, though they say it is not.
There is talk that this may be part of a social media strategy by Google, though they say it is not.
at the bottom of name search result pages.
Yes, because I scroll to the bottom of all my search results to find what I'm looking for.
posted by yeti at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yes, because I scroll to the bottom of all my search results to find what I'm looking for.
posted by yeti at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
That totally freaked me out. I'm signed in to Google, and the first link went to MY PROFILE! cashman is STALKING ME!
posted by steef at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by steef at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2009
Hmmm... it only shows if I'm logged into Google. Non-Google users (probably most people using Yahoo Mail or Hotmail) won't see them.
posted by exhilaration at 1:56 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by exhilaration at 1:56 PM on April 21, 2009
I think it's still activating across the Web. A few people I have asked can see my profile; others can't.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:04 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:04 PM on April 21, 2009
Just searched my name: at top of results (where the paid ads usually are) was "Are you [my name]? Create your own profile on Google"
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009
Oh, and I am signed in to Google.
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009
Google already knows everything there is to know about me. Couldn't they just make a profile for me I can sign off on?
posted by ewagoner at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009 [18 favorites]
posted by ewagoner at 2:06 PM on April 21, 2009 [18 favorites]
Eh, this seems like another good way to control information about yourself on the web.
posted by redbeard at 2:24 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by redbeard at 2:24 PM on April 21, 2009
I just went and made one of these solely because there are at least two other people with my name imposters out there. Sigh.
posted by dilettante at 2:31 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by dilettante at 2:31 PM on April 21, 2009
*ROCKS BACK AND FORTH*
Don't be evil ... don't be evil ... don't be evil ...
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:35 PM on April 21, 2009 [7 favorites]
Don't be evil ... don't be evil ... don't be evil ...
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:35 PM on April 21, 2009 [7 favorites]
Excellent, another place for me to assert that my job title is 'Awesomeologist.'
posted by mullingitover at 2:35 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by mullingitover at 2:35 PM on April 21, 2009
I bet they're not going to let me display Flickr photos on my profile page.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:40 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:40 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm glad there are plenty of others with my name and higher pagerank. It dilutes the embarrassing shit I did and said with shit that obviously couldn't be me.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 2:56 PM on April 21, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by a robot made out of meat at 2:56 PM on April 21, 2009 [3 favorites]
It seems to only appear if you are currently signed in to a google account. So, it's there when I'm signed in, but if I open another browser, where I'm not logged onto google, it doesn't show up. Is that going to be permanent, or is that just temporary?
posted by MythMaker at 3:03 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by MythMaker at 3:03 PM on April 21, 2009
Damn. There are many more well-known people with my name. Maybe I should list them on a page just so I can put myself on it - I doubt I'd make a list otherwise.
posted by Pronoiac at 3:17 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Pronoiac at 3:17 PM on April 21, 2009
Huh, I don't see it. However, one of the most high ranking results for my name is a semi-literate Twitter feed laced with profanity, so I hope future employers don't assume that is me.
posted by fermezporte at 3:39 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by fermezporte at 3:39 PM on April 21, 2009
Dudes, this is clearly the precursor to their Facebook killer.
posted by jbickers at 3:40 PM on April 21, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by jbickers at 3:40 PM on April 21, 2009 [2 favorites]
I just went and made one of these solely because there are at least two imposters out there. Sigh.
Me, too, but it looks like that's not going to help.
posted by gurple at 3:43 PM on April 21, 2009
Me, too, but it looks like that's not going to help.
posted by gurple at 3:43 PM on April 21, 2009
To be honest, I'd rather not show up on Google at all.
posted by djgh at 3:48 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by djgh at 3:48 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
What I want people who google my name to see is nothing. Unfortunately, what they do see is an impostor who is a famous pervert. If I made one of these profiles, I'd have to say first off that he's not me
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:04 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:04 PM on April 21, 2009
To be honest, I'd rather not show up on Google at all.
How do you expect all your ex's to research how awesome you've become since the breakup?
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 4:27 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
How do you expect all your ex's to research how awesome you've become since the breakup?
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 4:27 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
Don't have a Google profile? Just search for [me] and follow the instructions at the top of the page to create one. In just a few minutes, you can create a public profile that represents you and that appears when people search for your name on Google.
Hm. Just to cover the remaining 0.4% of IP addresses that Google doesn't already have linked with individual names?
(Double-clicking tinfoil.app right now...)
posted by rokusan at 4:39 PM on April 21, 2009
Hm. Just to cover the remaining 0.4% of IP addresses that Google doesn't already have linked with individual names?
(Double-clicking tinfoil.app right now...)
posted by rokusan at 4:39 PM on April 21, 2009
Yeah, part of me thinks this might be just a step too far… then the rational side realizes that, well, they're really not doing anything different than what's already out there, at least you can get some kind of say about how you are going to be portrayed when someone Googles you.
Plus, there's something really awesome about the idea of people sharing their digital "presences"—kind of reminds me how I felt when I first chatted with someone across the world over a modem. Like the world is a little smaller.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:41 PM on April 21, 2009
Plus, there's something really awesome about the idea of people sharing their digital "presences"—kind of reminds me how I felt when I first chatted with someone across the world over a modem. Like the world is a little smaller.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:41 PM on April 21, 2009
My search for "Me" turns up:
(1) Mobile Me.
(2) Windows ME.
(3) "God Made Me Funky"
So they've pretty much got me covered already.
posted by rokusan at 4:41 PM on April 21, 2009
(1) Mobile Me.
(2) Windows ME.
(3) "God Made Me Funky"
So they've pretty much got me covered already.
posted by rokusan at 4:41 PM on April 21, 2009
I should tell my wife about this. Because she has an unusual name, and almost all the results from typing her name in Google come back attached to stories about a transexual (former man) activist in the Midwest. Maybe not a good thing if people type in her name looking for a good Public Defender.
posted by kozad at 5:28 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by kozad at 5:28 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
Google, why are you trusting the humans to submit their own profiles?
posted by TwelveTwo at 7:16 PM on April 21, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by TwelveTwo at 7:16 PM on April 21, 2009 [2 favorites]
I'm getting in on this early to sow disinformation about myself.
posted by Benjy at 7:40 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Benjy at 7:40 PM on April 21, 2009
Whenever I Google myself, the only things that come up are a photographer in Kansas that shares my name, and the "Careers" section of the website at my old job, where I used to be the HR Manager (left there 4 years ago, BTW). I stopped G-ing myself a long time ago, cause I got bored...
posted by mnb64 at 9:09 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by mnb64 at 9:09 PM on April 21, 2009
So what happens when you try to add your email address and discover that someone has already associated it with another google account? I have never been able to raise a human at google, so I suppose I'm screwed.
posted by maxwelton at 9:24 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by maxwelton at 9:24 PM on April 21, 2009
Google sucks. They are gathering way too much information about individuals.
posted by delmoi at 11:01 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by delmoi at 11:01 PM on April 21, 2009
To be honest, I'd rather not show up on Google at all.
Aw man. I never have before, and now my name shows up at http://peoplesearch.myphotos.cc/, though, thank god, it doesn't have any more info than that.
Still, looks like it's time to go back to pigeons and smoke signals.
Stupid internet.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:56 PM on April 21, 2009
Aw man. I never have before, and now my name shows up at http://peoplesearch.myphotos.cc/, though, thank god, it doesn't have any more info than that.
Still, looks like it's time to go back to pigeons and smoke signals.
Stupid internet.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:56 PM on April 21, 2009
"Your profile is not yet eligible to be featured in Google search results
To have your profile featured, add more information about yourself."
I wonder how much information they want?!
posted by sid.tv at 12:47 AM on April 22, 2009
To have your profile featured, add more information about yourself."
I wonder how much information they want?!
posted by sid.tv at 12:47 AM on April 22, 2009
All of it.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:45 AM on April 22, 2009
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:45 AM on April 22, 2009
Conveniently I share my name with a highly accomplished biochemist, rendering me completely ungoogleable. If those topless photos ever get out, I'm swearing it's her not me!!
posted by little e at 5:46 AM on April 22, 2009
posted by little e at 5:46 AM on April 22, 2009
Seems to me like a good compromise might be for Google to magically delete all the embarrassing shit I posted/did/etc. prior to their incorporation in September 1998. I don't think that's asking too much.
posted by blucevalo at 8:47 AM on April 22, 2009
posted by blucevalo at 8:47 AM on April 22, 2009
Whoa, tough getting there, but finally got the message to activate a public profile. Of course this will become a social app! And then my Second Life avatar will be able to teleport to Google Earth. The singularity approaches!
posted by mouthnoize at 11:36 AM on April 22, 2009
posted by mouthnoize at 11:36 AM on April 22, 2009
@little e: Isn't it great to have a famous namesake? Not only does my namesake have an identical name, but he also is in the same profession.
I once got a call from a journalist from Canada asking me to share my views on something my namesake was involved. After I stopped laughing, I explained he had the wrong guy. Good times.
posted by reenum at 3:02 PM on April 22, 2009
I once got a call from a journalist from Canada asking me to share my views on something my namesake was involved. After I stopped laughing, I explained he had the wrong guy. Good times.
posted by reenum at 3:02 PM on April 22, 2009
Whoa, tough getting there, but finally got the message to activate a public profile. Of course this will become a social app! And then my Second Life avatar will be able to teleport to Google Earth. The singularity approaches!
That made me spit some of my drink onto my keyboard, which is the first time that has ever happened to me. Hello, internet cliché.
How do you expect all your ex's to research how awesome you've become since the breakup?
One of those planes towing a sign, circling their house and places of work and worship.
posted by djgh at 7:22 AM on April 23, 2009
That made me spit some of my drink onto my keyboard, which is the first time that has ever happened to me. Hello, internet cliché.
How do you expect all your ex's to research how awesome you've become since the breakup?
One of those planes towing a sign, circling their house and places of work and worship.
posted by djgh at 7:22 AM on April 23, 2009
I once got a call from a journalist from Canada asking me to share my views on something my namesake was involved. After I stopped laughing, I explained he had the wrong guy. Good times.
That's awesome, but it would have been better if you'd played along with it and given him a wildass ridiculous interview.
posted by little e at 7:50 AM on April 23, 2009
That's awesome, but it would have been better if you'd played along with it and given him a wildass ridiculous interview.
posted by little e at 7:50 AM on April 23, 2009
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posted by naju at 1:45 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]