WHO ARE YOU STALKING?

I am a doctor working in medical education and health, and have published many articles that are freely available on the internet. When you Google my name, you find stuff written by me, but also by other doctors with exactly the same name, but it’s almost impossible to find out who wrote what. Occasionally, I have attended meetings and been introduced to a new person and they’ll say ‘of course. I’m familiar with your work in the field of whatever…’ and they give a smug look of superiority, like they already know all about you. The thing is, I’ve not done this work, and I say ‘that’s another Dr etc..” and then I realised that I’ve been Google stalked. These people are often quite shallow, control freaks, and it outs any new relationship on a bad footing. I don’t mind people using the internet to contact me directly, but there’s obviously people out there making decision about people base don totally false information. When I meet these people now, I say to them, ‘don’t believe everything you read on Google. Should I have Googled you before you came to the meeting? I don’t know what the polite protocol is now?’ He, he…

I am a Google stalk-ee. Last Christmas my workplace required a photo to put with a piece of writing I had done for the website. I knew someone had been Googling me a lot a few years ago because the guy who keeps the website of a club I belong to ran the stats, and I had been Googled a lot. But when this work article came out, I received a mash note from a guy who said he had carried a torch for 33 years. Top that! Thing is, I can’t remember him. I can barely put a name to a face. I can’t remember going out with him or talking to him at all.