UTPL

What Happens When Someone Googles Your Name?

Rumors and lies become truth when only one side speaks.

Two weeks ago I needed a new grill for USC tailgating. I Googled “tailgating grill.”

Last week I needed a new lawn guy. I looked for one on Google.

Yesterday I ordered a pizza on the Internet. I simply Googled “Pizza Hut, Columbia, SC.”

You see, that’s what people do now. The yellow pages, to-go menus, folded maps, encyclopedias, and many more paper tools of the past are becoming obsolete. Newspapers aren’t far behind. Today folks are going straight to Google for nearly all their needs.

So what happens when someone Googles your name? What do they find?

This weekend I was quoted in the Post and Courier as saying “if someone wants to know something about you, the first thing they do is Google you, and you better make sure it’s your Web site they are running across and not some gossip blog.”

You know exactly what I mean. Studies show that 37% of Americans now get their news from the Internet while only 25% actually pick up a newspaper. Those statistics will continue to spread during the next few years. The problem is that good legislators are remaining quiet on the web while many bloggers are turning the Internet into the Wild Wild West.

Gossip blogs are ruling the web and there’s no telling when they are going to start aiming for you, if they haven’t already. There’s nothing you can do to stop them, but you can neutralize the negativity with positive news stories, frequently updated blogs and pictures, and constituent service tools that keep voters informed.

What do you want your voters to see when they Google your name? A blog about your numerous tax raising votes and irresponsible spending antics? Or information on how to reach you for constituent service help? Even if the former is untrue it can and most likely will be spread on the Internet. That’s just the way it goes these days. Rumors and lies become truth when only one side speaks.

Don’t wait until election season. Start populating great news about yourself now so that when campaign time arrives, you have a treasure trove of positive information to combat the gossip blogs. The more you update, the higher your website will go on a Google search. That way its your site voters see…not some gossip blogger’s.