Their Eyes are Upon You

I love the internet. Almost twenty years ago, I bought my first computer, and was the first person in town to sign up to the ‘net. I was also the first person to get a “warning” because I was online too much. Eventually I reached a sort of celebrity status with the internet company, because I was online longer than some of their tech support staff. Ah, those were the days.

Now, I use the internet mostly for business. I design websites and blogs, I write for Romance University, Word Wranglers and two blogs of my own. I keep in touch with my friend in Canada, my friend in California and various buddies throughout the world. I Facebook, twitter and pay my bills online. I follow my weight (gak) online, read various newspaper articles online and am probably still one of the top internet users in my area.

Boo-yah!

The entire world is at my fingertips.

But – it’s also at everyone else’s fingertips.

So? What should I care?

Because like Hansel and Gretel, we leave trails behind.

I repeat, so? What should I care?

Because someday we’re going to be published. Someday, we’re going to turn in that wonderful manuscript and an editor is going to say “Boo-yah!” (or whatever the editorial equivalent is) and not only will we be doing the Snoopy Dance, but we’ll also burst online and yell The Call! I got The Call!

But, what if the editor jumps online too? Maybe even before the call to see what kind of person this wonderful manuscript has emanated from? What is she/he going to find?

So, I went searching for myself. Yes, this sounds like something from the Dalai Lama, but not so much.

=)

I found quite a few references to a pillow I had commented favorably on on Amazon. As a matter of fact I found about twenty references on quite a variety of sites. Little did I know commenting on Amazon spread your name far and wide. Something good to know.

I found my blog site, my jewelry site, and an actress/model with my same name. Uh, so not me. Neither is Carrie Spencer the Miss Universe Great Britain. I almost panicked when I saw Carrie Spencer Bikini Photos. My God, the cellulite! But again, it wasn’t me. Whew.

I found my Romance University posts, some websites I had designed using my real name and not my company name.

All very innocent.

But what if the Boo-yah editor is looking? When she does a search on my name, will she be impressed with my upbeat writing, my snarky comments, my knowledge on foam pillows?

Possibly. I’m hoping she/he will be impressed by my writing skills enough to look me up. To see my little jewelry website, to read through the septic tank story on my blog. And giggle. I hope they’ll find me here and read some of my serious and not-so-serious posts that better describe what kind of person I am. And that’s okay. In their search across the i’net they’ll be able to buy a charm bracelet on my website if they so desire, or see a website I created for someone I’ve never met in Canada.

And hopefully, they’ll see that I’m just the kind of gal they’d like to have working with their company.

And if in the process, they think I look like Carrie Spencer in Bikini’s, I’m not going to tell them any different. =)

So, do a search on your name. What is your next potential editor going to read about you?



You might be surprised.


=)


carrie