My 2001 presence

Eight years ago, I had no Internet presence.

This is not completely true. Eight years ago, as we prepared to roll over into 2001, I was pretty active on the Internet. I had already created three Web sites, including a site for local band Floodplain and a personal writing site called “…Prying.” But I had no presence in the sense of searchable product. My personal sites were rarely linked to, so my standing in the world of search engine metrics was a big fat zero.

Fast forward, and here I am. Nearly 3,000 results. Not a lot, but worthwhile. Nearly a thousand of these are surely BMOWP blog posts, and at least a thousand more are probably based on date and tag hierarchy in BMOWP.

I say, “Here I am.” But really, I should say here we are. With blogging, social networking and the advancement of public records on the Internet, most of us can Google our name and find a vast amount of information, both self-published and governmentally controlled.

It’s an ego boost, for sure. And it’s an incredibly revealing exercise. What do others see of you? If someone searched your name, what would they find? How are you presenting yourself to the public, and is it okay with you?

I’m fine with my standing on the Internet. I feel I’m represented well. Others, not so much – ask any kid whose parents find drinking pictures on Facebook.

Where were you in terms of searchability eight years ago? In honor of Google’s 10th anniversary, they have set up a special Google search based on their January 2001 database.

Were you Internet popular in 2001?

Is there anyone whose standing went down?

Ask Al Gore.