Houston Chronicle story, “Google twin—a strange obsession,” looks at people who search online for people with their name. Heck, I don’t even Google my name about me, let alone someone who shares the same name. So, I find this kind of Googling kind of funny.
According to the Chronicle, “[Lynn Keane] Googled herself —performing that quiet act of vanity we all undertake when we think no one’s looking, just to see where we rank in the World According to a Search Engine.” OK, whatever. So, I Googled “Joe Wilcox” tonight, just see if I’ve got a twin out there. Oh, yeah, I found them—all wicked iterations of me. The first two results are to my analyst blog at JupiterResearch, where I haven’t worked since November.
So, that’s one version of me. Hit three is for Joe Wilcox Indian Den. I visited the Sedona, Arizona, store in 1993, when my wife and I were considering a move to the Southwest. It’s a great store, with the right name.
Hits four and five go to Microsoft Monitor, the other blog I maintained for JupiterResearch. I chuckle at this other iteration of myself, because my name has been stripped from all the posts. Finally, entry six is for this Website, joewilcox.com. The next search hit is for my TypePad blog, which I don’t even maintain anymore. But I keep it so no one can snag joewilcox.typepad.com and use it for nefarious end.
Other iterations of me come up in links to stories at Microsoft Watch, where I am editor, and to news stories I wrote for CNET News.com in 2001 and 2002.
The first Joe Wilcox, who is not some version of me, comes up as the second-to-last search hit on page four. This Joe Wilcox is a developer for Moby Games. The second Joe Wilcox, on page five, died in December 2005.
More interesting on page five: TextMap of Joe Wilcox. Apparently, there are enough relationships to my name, by way of press coverage, for a sentiment score of 52.8. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has a higher sentiment score—65.5—and Apple CEO Steve Jobs rates a 26.4.
What does the sentiment score mean? Good question.
Photo Credit: Suhel Banerjee