Like all good people who have an online presence, I Google myself pretty regularly. I like to see what pops up, not just of my own work, but that of the OTHER Emily Jaspers out there…
There’s probably a whole population of Emily Jaspers!
You remember back in college how you used to get friend requests from your Facebook doppelgangers who were in school in faraway places like California or Canada? It was fun at the time, but then now you realize…hmm…maybe not so much.
Why is it important to know about your doppelgangers?
If other contacts, bloggers, employers, etc. are looking you up on Google, you want to be sure it’s the correct you. Sadly, you may have no control over what they see. You don’t want them to make decisions based on the profile from someone in Australia instead of you in Minnesota.
For everything that might go into Personal Branding, someone looking you up could have no idea that you have a great personal brand and presence online if they start clicking down the wrong direction.
So if you can’t change the doppelganger’s influence, how can you show people you’re the correct you?
- Consistency with profiles: I’ve started using the same picture for my profiles. It then is clear when you look me up, that I’d be the same Emily Jasper. There’s an Emily Jasper-Petry who has a neat flickr page, and if you didn’t really know me, could mistake her as me. Except her profile picture is different. If you saw all my other profiles, you’d be able to note she and I aren’t the same person.
- List some key identifiers: You probably don’t want to list your home address, but you might want to put the same city listing on your profiles. If there are two profiles with no pictures, the city that matches the one listed on your resume would make things a bit easier for a hiring manager checking you out for a job.
- Make your name as clear as possible: This one is for the married folks. Above, I listed an Emily Jasper-Petry, and for all you know, I could have a secret husband you don’t know about. That’s not the case, but especially if you are going to be changing your name, make sure we’re all going to know who the new you is, but that we can keep the old you information (like your feeds).
- Provide links when possible: If you have a website, point people to it. Oftentimes, your page may then have the rest of your feeds or About will include the rest of your links. Make it easy for someone to start the Google path by pointing them in the right direction.
If you wanted to make sure someone didn’t start mixing you up with your doppelganger, what other tips would you provide?
Photo credit.
Those are some great tips for those with a doppelganger issue. I’ve seen only one other Jake LaCaze on Google, who is from a town in Louisiana close to where I grew up. But the only thing that shows up about him are the results of his cattle-judging contests in FFA. I search for myself on Google from time to time just to make sure he’s not making a move. So far, so good.
.-= Jake LaCaze´s last blog ..When A Strength Becomes A Weakness =-.
Jake, there used to be someone who had the same name as me who had a wild streak online. I used to get nervous that she’d be mistaken as me. Additionally, between her and a number of other Emily Jaspers, we’re all fair and blonde, what are the chances? I do like to check because you never know.
And the cattle judging is awesome, btw.
Many years ago I moved into an apartment complex, only to discover that the previous tenant had the same first and last name, save a single letter difference in spelling! The property manager told me it was an amusing coincidence, but also advised me to alert local authorities of the potential mix up. Unfortunately my near doppelganger in name and now address was also something of a deadbeat. The property manager was concerned if I ever got stopped for a ticket, I’d REALLY get pulled over! Fast forward a few months and try explaining over the phone to a snarky collections agent – “Yes I have the same first and last name and address as the person who owes you money, but that’s not me. Really!” Social Security numbers make all the difference in this case. Don’t post them on your Facebook profile, but use them when you need them!
.-= marc sokol´s last blog ..Power, politics and the expectation that you love your company brand: What customer reps will never tell you =-.
Crazy! A real-life doppelganger can be a dangerous thing. We see episodes on tv where two people with the same name end up in all kinds of mix ups, usually involving someone in a hospital or morgue. It sounds like things have all worked out for you. Thanks for sharing your own double story Marc!
An act of vanity I took up awhile ago is a weekly Google alert for my name and my screen name- so I always know if something odd pops up on me.
.-= Dmbosstone´s last blog ..NMS Blog: I Don’t Know Where Social Media Will Be In Ten Years (But It Doesn’t Matter) =-.
Patrick, I don’t think that’s vanity, I think it’s smart! Most people do it to check what others are saying about them, but what your double is doing is very important to know.
The doppelganger issue is why I use the first initial + middle name combination. Would get lost in the crowd otherwise.
There is a J. Maureen Henderson (not me) on Facebook, but I’d like to think a quick glance at her public profile details and photo would alert anyone to the fact it isn’t me.
I did go ahead and buy a domain in my name, though. Better that it’s under my control than someone else’s.
In replying to you, I’m now thinking to myself, “So do I reply ‘J,’ ‘J. Maureen,’ or make something up like ‘JMH?'” If you have a way you’d like to be addressed, let me know 🙂
To your point, creating some unique qualities to your name/online persona can make it much easier to distinguish you from others in the internet ocean. I’m glad you bought your domain name, it was the best decision I ever made.
You point i very valid and wise. But I have yet to find a “Ty Unglebower” that isn’t me as I search. =)
.-= Ty Unglebower´s last blog ..Facebook and the Lack of Public Privacy =-.
Hahaha Ty, you do have a unique name! Let me know if you stumble across one who isn’t you, k?
Hey Emily Jasper!
It is Emily Jasper-Petry here! Just had a very surreal experience: Googled myself, saw myself listed under a few people’s blogs, clicked on blog, read your article about googling yourself and finding other people with the same name, with specific reference to me! How crazy is the internet!!
I am so happy to know that you look at my flickr page and think it is neat, very cool of you to shout it out. But just so you know, I actually am not married, I just choose to use both of my parents’ names so as to strip patriarchal imbalance of meaning from my identity. Just wanted to clear that up! Keep up the great work, cyber-doppleganger!
Hi Emily! Thanks for the clarification. I know that last names are coming about in all shapes and manners. My friend has her’s with both her parents’ names and her now husband’s.
I like your approach specifically. I think about it all the time, what names do I want, and even said in another post that I wouldn’t think it unfair to expect my future husband to take my name.
I’ll see you around the internet, especially as I google myself, I know I’ll find you! Have a good one!
Great post, Emily. Cyber twins, or ‘doppelgangers’ are always out there and it’s very rare that we have a completely unique name/online presence. To ensure that people like employers and other prospects are finding the right results about us, we can use tools like the Vizibility.com ‘SearchMe’ link that instantly returns the results you want first. It allows us to highlight our credentials online and manage it easily.
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