In September of 2010 I asked the question "What is your online identity?" You may say "well I don't go online or use Facebook". It does not matter! If you're were born on this planet then some form of information about you has made its way to the World Wide Web. Some states have laws that makes your personal information available online. Such as births, deaths, marriages, divorce and property records.
I came back to this topic because on this past Tuesday I was checking my email and I received an alert from the Google Alert I set up. If your unfamiliar with Google Alerts it basically allows you to monitor a search terms when they appear online. I have an alert setup for my name. So any time it appears online I'm made aware of it. This is a great way to monitor your reputation and its free.
When you receive an alert it gives you a small preview of what the alert is. My email read "WANTED: ALVIN TATUM JR" since my name is not as common as others needless to say I was shocked and quickly clicked the link to see what it was about. Thankfully it was another Alvin Tatum Jr in Maryland, but the point is in today's technological society mistaken identity happens all the time.
Just imagine if you were applying for a job somewhere or trying to get a passport and the proper verifications aren't done. Or worse someone has stolen your identity and pretending to be you. Not having a love for technology is not an excuse to go unplugged. So please read my previous post on some ways you can get started.
I also "Reloaded" this post because last week Google launched "Me on The Web" located under Google Dashboard. They've taken the process I've done for myself and made it accessible from a single location allowing you to create a Google Profile and set up search alerts for your data. Its really simple and shouldn't take you longer than a few minutes unless you're setting up a Google account for the first time.
So if you are not up to speed on your on-line information please get going. Because you can choose to ignore the internet, but I promise it want ignore you.
23. June 2011 at 6:55 PM
This is absolutely hilarious but thankfully it’s not you lol. Thanks for the heads up about Google Alerts I just signed up and look forward to the service!
24. June 2011 at 10:36 AM
It is after the fact, but trust I wasn’t laughing when I read the email.
24. June 2011 at 3:48 AM
It seemed that someone is having the same name with your name. I agree with being careful online, I believe reputation and identity being key for bloggers and if you break it you can permanently damage your site or your reputation and undo years worth of hard work. Thanks for sharing Alvin!
25. June 2011 at 3:36 AM
Oh man, that had to have been shocking for you. Thanks for the info on Google Profile. I have never heard of it! I’ll check it out.
Sherrie Koretke recently posted..Feel Passion For Your Business?
25. June 2011 at 4:09 AM
Your welcome Sherrie and thanks for you comment!
25. June 2011 at 5:58 AM
Hey Alvin, don’t worry, we know you’re one of the good guys
Btw – don’t forget to enhance your Google Alerts with Yolink. You’ll see a difference in the number of alerts and in the call-outs for your alert term.
Ileane recently posted..Add Klout to Your Social Profile
25. June 2011 at 6:21 AM
Hey thanks Ileane. I will check that out.
26. June 2011 at 10:38 AM
congrates ALVIN TATUM, nice feature i wil try
12. July 2011 at 11:40 AM
That was intense. To think that you even had the same first name, last name, and the Jr. If I were you I would also be shocked while opening the email you received.
I haven’t heard of Google Alerts before. Yay! I learned something from reading this post.
Btw, I regularly check my online identity status using Google. Then I discovered someone with the first name as mine. Quite shocking indeed on my part because the combination of my first names is quite uncommon.
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