Monday, June 21, 2010

What the Hell is an "Internet"?

I'm going to admit it: I "Google" my name once a week. Yes, I do this because I'm a writer, and all writers (at least those who publish) are a bit narcissistic at some level (even if we're closet narcissists). It's how I find most reviews of my short stories.

You find all sorts of interesting things when you "Google" your own name. Like this excerpt from one of my favorite stories at Every Day Fiction:

Billy was always eager to go on nights his mom worked late. We first entered the dark spaces while the world shed her summer greens for the browns and tans of fall, the dingy grey of winter lurking behind the turn of the calendar.

Yes, this was listed under the heading Billy Boy - Every Day Fiction - by Aaron Polson on an Indonesian MP3 download site. WTF is a clip from "Billy Boy" doing on an Indonesian MP3 site?

So, I ask again, what the hell is this thing called "the internet"?

Oh--and any World Cup fans out there--that was one hell of a game the Kiwis played against Italy. Just sayin'. Those Italian whiners can put their lousy acting back on the shelf, too. Boo-freaking-hoo.

16 comments:

Jamie Eyberg said...

I wonder what i would find in a yahoo search of my name? Only one way to find out.

Katey said...

That is... hilarious. I have google alerts on my name but nothing ever hits except my own twitter talking-- even when I KNOW someone's just posted my name somewhere/I had a story put up recently. Makes me feel really sad for even having it set up :D

And YES on the NZ/Italy game. How ridiculous were the Italians? Go, go Kiwiland! (Though Cote d'Ivoire did try to take the World Cup of Bad Acting at the end of their ass-kicking by Brazil. They sent Kaka off for it, too-- totally unfair! Suck it up, buttercups.)

K.C. Shaw said...

I've got a google alert set up for my name too. Ain't no shame in it! (The shame comes from not getting very many hits per week, in my case.)

Anthony Rapino said...

Kevin Smith references for the win! :-D

I'll admit to googling my name now and then. Though I've never found anything as cool as a review of one of my works!

Cate Gardner said...

I have a google alert set up too... It normally tells me when I've posted a blog post. :(

Barry Napier said...

Apparently there is some other writer--this one of the religious variety--named Barry Napier in the UK. That guy is messing up my Google searches!

Fox Lee said...

That reminds me...I haven't googled myself in a while!

Andrea Allison said...

I rarely google myself. Usually don't find anything new about myself.

Alan W. Davidson said...

Yep, who knows what you'll find out there about yourself. I supppose your name, and words, could have been used in waaayyy worse ways in Indonesia...

Brendan P. Myers said...

Hey! Look at you! You're big in Indonesia!

Wish I could say the same . . .

(:>)

Aaron Polson said...

Oh...Indonesia...I think you've been maligned. ;)

Jameson T. Caine said...

Oddly enough, I googled my name before I submitted anything. I wanted to be sure no one else was using it.

Michael Stone said...

I set up a Google alerts thing for my name. Every day I was told of several other Michael Stones achieving success in their chosen field so I canceled it. A name change is in order, me thinks.

Danielle Birch said...

I've googled myself on the odd occasion. I set up Google alerts which brings up some odd stuff sometimes - usually about ferries and shipping terminals.

Anonymous said...

There is always a Mercedes for sale in Yardley, PA.

I'm terrified to Google myself. One day I'm going to come across something so harsh and scathing that I'll drop to the floor weeping, and then I'll go out for bloody, bloody revenge.

I do have Google alerts, though. It tells me that I spend too much time on Twitter. :P


-Mercedes

Sue London said...

I thought that's a good idea and promptly went out to Google Sue London fiction. The first hit was my interview on this site.

That is so, so meta.