Google me, google you

Many years ago, before Google started acting like Microsoft, I did a search of my name in quotations on a whim. I didn't really expect anything to turn up so imagine my delight when Google returned numerous hits. The majority of the results were articles I had written for the campus newspaper, but a few were glimpses into the life of a person with the exact same name as me. This person will hereforth be referred to as Mein Doppleganger (MD for short).

I read everything I found about Mein Doppleganger. An online newsletter announced her departure from an AIDS organization and expressed how much she would be missed. A University of Toronto tutorial list told me that she enrolled in Teacher's College shortly afterwards. Then, an online class list told me that she was now a Grade 6 teacher.

I felt like I knew MD so well that I gave updates of her life to her acquaintances. During a stint in the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, with my name prominently displayed at my booth, a genial old couple asked if by chance I was the girl they knew once upon a time in Nova Scotia. Without missing a beat, I answered, "No, I'm not her, but I know exactly who you are talking about. She left her job at the AIDS organization, went to Teacher's College at U of T and now she's a Grade 6 teacher. Isn't that great?" The couple looked more than a little disturbed and then confused when I explained that Google had brought MD to my attention. They said, "Oh, really?" then fled.

Googling oneself isn't all scary. A blog entry I wrote back in November extoling the virtues of art and, in particular, an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, was found by an artist in the exhibition. She wrote:
"My twin sister was googling my name and came across your blog about "I Love Art". She forwarded it to me and it made my Monday. Your blog reminded me why I create art in the first place, not to please curators but to express myself. Thanks for your comments."

See? Not scary at all.