Just go Google yourself.

Today I did something I usually judge people for: I Googled myself. I was just curious – part of me wanted to see exactly how many Lauren Branders there are in the world, and part of me wanted to see if I had, somehow, accomplished anything newsworthy (in someone else’s eyes at least) recently. What I found surprised me.

The first listing that popped up was my LinkedIn profile. I’ll confess – I’m not a huge fan of LinkedIn. It feels to me like a car without the works. There are a lot of buttons there that show you what you could do if you upgraded to the premium package, but until then you’re stuck with a constant reminder that you’re cheap/broke.

The other curveball Google threw at me was Twitter. I know that whatever I say on Twitter lives forever and ever, but I didn’t realize that, when someone searches my name, almost everything I’ve ever tweeted shows up. Even posts from February or so – more than six months ago! I’ll definitely remember that next time I decide to send an oh-so-witty update before I’ve had my morning coffee.

The lesson from this exercise in humility is that I really need to manage my Google. That means filling out the LinkedIn profile, even though I think it’s a pain. It means actually doing something with my branded Web page (that just sits, and sits). Thanks Dad; I can already hear the “I told you so.”

Let’s be honest. The first time you meet someone, or you get an introduction, what do you do? If you’re like me, you Facebook them. Then, after you realize they (probably) have a protected profile, you Google them. I’d just like to know what people are finding.