Just Google me

I was trying recently to tell someone the name of this blog because there was a certain posting that she was interested in. After a few "use dashes between the words, not spaces" and "no, you can't put commas in", she finally asked with perfect logic "Can't I just Google you?"

"Well, yes," I responded, thinking "Why didn't I think of that?"

Well, it turns out that smart as Google is, it isn't very good at pointing at this blog. In fact, searching for (Arnold Loveridge blog) didn't produce the blog until the 15th entry. Just Googling (Arnold Loveridge) produced this blog as the 7th entry so at least it would be on the first page. Interestingly, both searches found my inactive Joke of the Day blog sooner than this active one.

So Google isn't that good at finding my blog but it is pretty good about finding and reporting on other details of my life. You might be interested in the kinds of information Google digs up with a simple search of your name. I'll detail the first 20 responses for search (Arnold Loveridge).

1. Notes that I'm an Amazon book reviewer. I've written 45 to 50 book reviews for Amazon
2. Amazon book review for a particularly controversial book.
3. My inactive Joke of the Day blog.
4. My participation in Meals on Wheels as documented in a Sacramento County meeting
5. My prize-winning short story that was printed in Sunstone Magazine.
6. A letter to the Sunstone editor I wrote trying to clear up a reader's misuse of the word homosexual.
7. The Link to this Blog
8. The cast list of Davis Musical Theater Center's production of Oliver! in which I played Oliver's kindly grandfather.
9. Old reference to my employment at the Harbor Regional Center in Torrance, now 7 years in the past.
10. Reference in fair hearing minutes to my being the acting Executive Director of Alta California Regional Center, now 4 years in the past
11. not a reference to me
12. not a reference to me but to the mayor of Riverside, California
13. 3 year old reference to my position at Alta California Regional Center
14. Reference to a short story I wrote for BYU Magazine 12 to 15 years ago.
15. not a reference to me
16. not a reference to me
17. Reference to my position in 1975 at Long Beach Community Hospital. It was a Hewlett-Packard PR piece about hospitals using computers more and more.
18. not a reference to me
19. 10 year old reference to my position at Harbor Regional Center.
20. not a reference to me

Net result from my research: It's best to tell people to Google (Arnold Loveridge blogger). My profile comes up first on the list of citations and this blog is listed among the two blogs that I have kept. I'm going to indicate the Joke one is inactive - that means that I'm not currently adding jokes but all the old ones are still there. Second result: I believe people can find out a lot about me and I don't even have a Facebook page.