The Cloak of Internet Anonymity
I feel sorry for all the Joe Smiths in the world.
Or the Bob Johnsons.
Or any married female---and not for the reason you think.
For how can any of the above ever be found on the Internet? Or on social networking sites like Facebook?
We've all done it---looked up former classmates or co-workers or childhood friends on search engines like Google, to see if we find a match, and therefore have a chance to find out what in the world they're up to.
It's easier when the name you're searching is...well, like mine, for instance.
How many Greg Enos did YOU grow up with?
The names of the friends I've looked up haven't been 100% unique, but they're usually different enough that when I find matches, chances are that one of them is the person I'm seeking.
Which brings me back to poor Joe Smith.
What are the odds that ole Joe will ever be found by those curious as to his whereabouts?
Too many Joe Smiths, and who has the patience to try to whittle them down to a manageable number?
Of course, maybe some Joe Smiths don't want to be found---in which case, the commonality of their name is just fine with them, thank you.
Then there's the married woman.
If my lovely wife, Sharon, is reading this, just know, honey, that if I type in a female classmate into Google, it's all very innocent. And, likely, all very futile.
Married women change their last names, you know. And darned if we know what that new name is.
As a result---no doubt hoping to found by other female friends rather than to be surprised by some dude from their past---the ladies are taking to hyphenating their names when using Facebook, for example.
My wife has done so, and because she did, dozens of high school classmates and friends from the neighborhood have emerged, requesting her Facebook Friendship.
They have no clue what the heck that funny name is after the hyphen, but they sure as heck remember the name before it.
As a writer, my name tends to appear around the Web more so than others'. I'm an easy find, and have been. Tomorrow we're attending a soiree being thrown by a guy I haven't seen in some 30 years. We didn't even go to the same high school together; we were junior high mates.
Ahh, but there's Google and there's Facebook and there's that damned "Eno" surname again.
"Are you the same Greg Eno who went to Whitman Jr. High?," he wanted to know in an unsolicited Facebook message.
Why yes I am!
My photo is readily available, too, and I've been told that I haven't changed much. So that makes me a ridiculously easy find.
But Joe Smith? Bob Johnson? Jennifer (I'm Married Now)?
Good luck!
Their names may as well be John and Jane Doe.
Which, come to think of it, might have something going for it.
Or the Bob Johnsons.
Or any married female---and not for the reason you think.
For how can any of the above ever be found on the Internet? Or on social networking sites like Facebook?
We've all done it---looked up former classmates or co-workers or childhood friends on search engines like Google, to see if we find a match, and therefore have a chance to find out what in the world they're up to.
It's easier when the name you're searching is...well, like mine, for instance.
How many Greg Enos did YOU grow up with?
The names of the friends I've looked up haven't been 100% unique, but they're usually different enough that when I find matches, chances are that one of them is the person I'm seeking.
Which brings me back to poor Joe Smith.
What are the odds that ole Joe will ever be found by those curious as to his whereabouts?
Too many Joe Smiths, and who has the patience to try to whittle them down to a manageable number?
Of course, maybe some Joe Smiths don't want to be found---in which case, the commonality of their name is just fine with them, thank you.
Then there's the married woman.
If my lovely wife, Sharon, is reading this, just know, honey, that if I type in a female classmate into Google, it's all very innocent. And, likely, all very futile.
Married women change their last names, you know. And darned if we know what that new name is.
As a result---no doubt hoping to found by other female friends rather than to be surprised by some dude from their past---the ladies are taking to hyphenating their names when using Facebook, for example.
My wife has done so, and because she did, dozens of high school classmates and friends from the neighborhood have emerged, requesting her Facebook Friendship.
They have no clue what the heck that funny name is after the hyphen, but they sure as heck remember the name before it.
As a writer, my name tends to appear around the Web more so than others'. I'm an easy find, and have been. Tomorrow we're attending a soiree being thrown by a guy I haven't seen in some 30 years. We didn't even go to the same high school together; we were junior high mates.
Ahh, but there's Google and there's Facebook and there's that damned "Eno" surname again.
"Are you the same Greg Eno who went to Whitman Jr. High?," he wanted to know in an unsolicited Facebook message.
Why yes I am!
My photo is readily available, too, and I've been told that I haven't changed much. So that makes me a ridiculously easy find.
But Joe Smith? Bob Johnson? Jennifer (I'm Married Now)?
Good luck!
Their names may as well be John and Jane Doe.
Which, come to think of it, might have something going for it.
Be realistic, Greg. Your wife's high school friends think she married Brian.
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