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Authors Answer 81 – Google Search Visibility

When was the last time you Googled yourself? Check out what a handful of authors (myself included) said on Jay Dee’s weekly interview post.
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Jay Dee's avatarI Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Google, the most important search engine on the entire internet, and authors want to be on it. They want to be the first search item listed when their name is searched. The number one link should be an author’s website or blog. But sometimes, names aren’t exclusive to the author. They’re not always unique. Sometimes they’re surprising.

320px-Modern-ftn-pen-cursiveQuestion 81 – Have you ever Googled your name? What did you find that surprised you?

Jean Davis

There are a lot of people named Jean Davis, and many of them have obituaries. At least I show up on page one as my author self. Yay for Google.

H. Anthe Davis

Going by my real name, I can’t find myself at all — there are too many of me.  Going by my pen name (which is just an adaptation of my real name), I only find my works and the blogs I’ve posted…

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Creepy or Convenient? Part 2

Google is at it again, reading my gmail. You might remember the first time, when Google noticed I had written the word “attached” in the body of my email but I hadn’t attached anything. This time it waited until the right time to pounce.

I received a notification yesterday to let me know the good people (computers?) at their organization had added the flight information for my upcoming trip to Tokyo to my Google calendar. So I won’t forget I’m going, I suppose.

So I have decided: If I receive an email suggesting that I drink less before I go to bed so I won’t have to get up to go to the bathroom at 1:37 am, 3:03 am, and 4:26 am again the next night, I’m going offline permanently.


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Creepy or Convenient? You Decide

I wrote an email to a friend this morning using my gmail account. Just a regular event, nothing special, right? That’s what I thought. And then I hit the send button. A message popped up to let me know that in the body of the email I had written the word “attached,” but that I had not added an attachment to my email. “Are you sure you want to send it?” Google asked.

Two thoughts came to mind in such quick succession that I’m not sure which one I thought first: Oh, isn’t that a handy feature! and What the hell is Google doing reading my email?

I mean seriously, if they’re flagging the word “attached” then what else are they flagging? And who are they sharing it with? If they’re not sharing it with anyone, are they just proving a point? As in, “See? We know what you’re writing. We’re watching you.”

So I decided to read their privacy policy. This is the only thing I could find on the subject of emails:

Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection.

Hmm…

To say this feature is disconcerting is an understatement. I’ve been thinking about it all day. And I still can’t decide – is it the best thing since sliced bread? Or is this Google’s way of buttering me up while they keep an eye on my private communications?

What do you think?