Are You Google-able?

Tris Hussey asks:

So if you Google yourself and get no results, do you exist? Hmm. Philosophy for the 21st century.

My quick answer: Yes.

My longer answer:

I regularly Google both Shai Coggins and Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins (about a 1-2 times a month). Not [just] for vanity - but for practical and professional reasons.

As I mentioned in this post, I often find two types of people when I do this:

1) People who steal my work.

and

2) People who comment about me and my work, without my knowledge. These comments can be both good and not-so-good. That’s OK. It gives me an idea of what’s out there about me anyway. I’ve met some nice people and found some wonderful resources by doing this. So, it’s great.

Anyway, when I do a Google search on my name/s, my sites come up first. (ShaiCoggins.com is #1 with ’shai coggins’ and my bio page on Web Logs at About.com is #1 with ’sheila ann manuel coggins’. Most of the stuff on the first few pages are mine. But, I also find stuff about me, through other people’s POV.

This is fantastic. At least I know what kind of things people can find when they Google my name. Sometimes, when I try to Google people’s names and/or organisations, it’s strange to see third party information. You don’t know what you can find out there if you don’t have any web presence at all. I guess, if anything, this is one good reason to put up your own web log or web page.

I know some people would rather not be found at all. And, that’s understandable. But, what if someone else wrote about you?

You don’t want people to find out about you just through other people, right? Well, unless everything that can be found are good stuff.
So, what about you? What can you find when you Google yourself or someone you know? Are you able to have some say on your existence or are the information all from someone else?