Ever try to Google yourself? I did today. I'm pretty easy to find between the Gmail account, Twitter account, Facebook account, Linkedin account, this blog, and the blogs I comment on. I even discovered today I'm the only person with my name (First and Last) in Michigan and the United States.
I wonder what the pros and cons are of having as much exposure to myself as I have. My grandparents are from the era that anything they hear in the news will happen to you. Identity theft is something I am being continually harrassed about at home. I'm constantly being reminded that I can endanger myself, my children, my finances, and my reputation if I put anything on my Facebook or Twitter feeds that would be considered "too personal". Since I'm the only person with my name, I would think it would be easy to find someone impersonating me.
But, being an aspiring author, you also have to consider exposure as a good thing. The more traffic to your blog, the better you'll be received into the community of authors you need to have as your support base. The better your writing on that blog, the more interest you'll receive from book reviewers, publishers, agents, etc. Word of mouth used to be your ally with respect to your reputation as an author, politician, caretaker and other pursuits. But in the age of technology, being found in a search engine so someone can see who you are, where you are from and where you are going is today's "word of mouth". If you are on Google, you just may be somebody.
"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille."
Happy Reading!
