I remember the day back in 2005 quite vividly. I was working for the NBC affiliate in Phoenix as an Executive Producer. I walked in as I normally do every day and went straight to my desk. When I arrived, I saw it covered in AP wire copy. Yes! Clearly something important was upon us if my desk sit covered in printed wire copy.
I soon started to read about how I masterminded a plot to kidnap David Letterman’s son and nanny. I was under arrest and in big trouble. Right there in black and white: “Kelly Frank planned to hold the boy and his nanny for a $5 million ransom”.
My colleagues were highly amused but if you Google Kelly Frank today–that is what you will find. That…and apparently I am one hell of a professional team mascot! So much so—I teach other mascots how to shake, shimmy and do their silly string thing without getting canned.
Now clearly I am not a criminal or a professional mascot (although the latter would be pretty cool!) All kidding aside though, being aware of who you “are” out in the digital landscape is crucial. It doesn’t take much for an employer, prospective employer, friend, boyfriend, wife or colleague to find out what you left in your online wake. Luckily I am very tuned in to this. I knew what I would find when I googled myself because I do it often. I also set Google alerts to my name. I work in a high-profile field where your reputation isn’t just about you–it’s about the network you represent. I take that very seriously.
Now that I am married, I use Kelly Frank Green and I am happy to say…no celebrity stalking or mascot twerking to speak of. Googling Kelly Frank Green yielded exactly what I thought: my social media library. Here’s a brief slide show:
Aside from my social media footprint, there is the expected search services and directories to find “Kelly Frank Green”. I also looked through the search results that came up under News, Shopping, Video and Images. Video revealed my vine account and a “day in the life” video shoot at CNN. It was for an event for my alma mater:
The Images search results were a mix of pictures I took, posted or pinned along with some that have nothing to do with me:
Googling my email address produced similar results. The findings only extended about three-quarters of the page whereas my name went into a second page of results. This surprised me a little in that I use this Gmail account for many things. Clearly it is very public if I have it on this blog and it is associated with all my social media.
I also looked at the News, Images, Shopping and Videos for these findings as well. No news on News is good news! There was nothing under Shopping or Videos. The Images results were similar to those under my name. Interestingly enough, classmate Angela Cook came up “below the fold as you can see below. We are friends on Google+ and that seems to bump up her ranking! (Oh Google…you do like yourself!)
Googling yourself is a good practice to keep every month or so. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, reputation management is something we should all take seriously. So stalk yourself now and then. Check profiles from the “public” point of view. Check in on what various groups see or what lists you are on. It’s important…you never know when you will find you are a twerking, silly string-slinging mascot or worse…a celebrity-stalking convicted felon.
__________________________________________________________
The experience above is chronicled for my Web Research Methods class for the University of Florida Masters Degree program specializing in Social Media. As always…this exercise is purely academic.
Social Chatter & Other Observations 
Hi Kelly!
Great blog post! I want you to show me/tell me how to include a slideshow in a post. Very cool! Your results were amazing. I think you had the most successful results out of everyone. It’s funny too about the convict and mascot. I, of course, get a lot about Princess Leia. I don’t mind that, though, I am a huge Star Wars fan! I have enjoyed reading everyone’s blogs this week… it’s so interesting to hear about the findings. I am curious, did anything show up you wish hadn’t? If it had, would you ever consider hiring one of the reputation firms to help bury it? I say that I don’t think that it’s really ethical… but it something really bad was out there… I don’t know what I would do. I love reading your blog… great job!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Princess Leia huh? I am not surprised. 🙂
Thanks for your comments.
So far I have been lucky. Nothing has showed up that I was concerned about (that was actually about me!!)
I am pretty vigilant about what I post and where I post it.
I am with you…I don’t think it is ethical to bury something. If it wasn’t true, I would work to remove it. If something was posted that was accurate that I didn’t like (and I honestly can’t think of anything)…I would just engage. I would post responses if needed or explanations. It’s an open system for a reason and you have to be able to leave it that way.
I own my actions or at least try to.
I’m not perfect so when I stumble…I hope to be able to explain!
LikeLike
You look so much better without the mustache. Good choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ya know Royce…you should have seen it when it was a handlebar. Hot stuff.
LikeLike
Just came in for my weekly KFG fix. It’s times like these that I’m grateful for a weird name — just about nobody else has it, and certainly no felons. (There is a young guy in Tulsa. This one realtor in Oklahoma occasionally sends me listings.) With the exception of Google Images, a feature that seems to be pulling up the rear in terms of “getting it right,” your footprint seems to be pretty stable. And I was also surprised at how little my email address surfaced. Those algorithms have some funny ideas. Very nice post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
KFG Fix. I like that. 🙂 Lucky for you if you ever need to head where the waving wheat smells sweet – you’re golden.
Thanks (as always) for commenting.
LikeLike
Hi, Kelly! It can be hilarious what results we find when we “search for ourselves.” Fortunately (or, unfortunately), you and I have more common names. This helps us in the sense that people should have an easier time spelling out our actual name, but it is a hindrance in that there are numerous other people that have our name (I guess you’re a criminal and I’m a hypnotist!). ha
Thank you for your well-done blog post – great use of graphics!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for commenting on my post. A hynotist huh? That’s pretty cool actually! The other thing that happens often– people think I am a man 🙂
LikeLike
Kelly,
You not only have a common name but you have a common name for a color. “Hey…what’s the color of your car? Kelly Green”. Kelly is also a common guy name like you found. Both of my wives were/are named Kelly. Go figure.
There is Kelly Blue Book, Kelly Tires, and a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.
So I bet you get a lot of other people when you Google yourself.
When I Googled myself I found 4 other Ron Webers close to my age and have similar job professions.
Its going to be tuff to me discreet in the future. I think the only way we can appear anonymous as if we don’t ever do anything out of the ordinary. Don’t get recognized for anything and don’t break any laws.
But that will lead to a boring and miserable life.
Good post.
Ron
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Ron…Thank you for your comments. Yes I have a common name and yes…people who haven’t “met” me often think I am a man. I have told my parents 100 times they should have spelled my name Kelley or Kellie. 🙂
While I am not for breaking laws…I am all for living an extraordinary life!
LikeLike
How could I not read your blog with a title like that? Per usual, great post! Your past life sounds incredibly interesting; that being said, I understand and appreciate your reason for making a career change. ☺
I was also surprised by my email search results, and have had quiet a different experience Googling myself since changing my last name. I got married relatively early on in my professional career, but I can now appreciate how a name change would be a hard decision from a professional standpoint, depending on your reputation and career. Again, I loved your post, humor and especially your closing image!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for commenting Kaitlin. It was a tough decision when I was considering a name change. In broadcast news, name changes are not the norm. In the end, I made my maiden name my middle name so I didn’t have to lose it altogether.
…oh and thanks for understanding my need for a career change! 😉
LikeLike
“Now that I am married, I use Kelly Frank Green and I am happy to say…no celebrity stalking or mascot twerking to speak of. Googling Kelly Frank Green yielded exactly what I thought: my social media library. Here’s a brief slide show:”
Wow, you are so awesome for putting together a slide show for this assignment. Very well done! You also did an excellent job describing what you found online. I especially appreciated the photos you included in your post. It made it fun to read! By the way, congratulations on your marriage. As a single woman, I’ve never considered the effects of name change on search results. It makes perfect sense, though! A new name can translate into a new online presence. What a neat idea!
I think it’s awesome that your CNN coverage made the cut and I enjoyed reading that Angela also made an appearance in the results. Very cool! You make a great point — Google+ does hold an influence on rankings! Thanks for the excellent reminder. I look forward to continuing to read your posts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for commenting Kimberly. I have to say that Word Press makes things like a slide show…pretty easy to put together. So I can’t take credit! There are plus/minuses to the name change. If you have established yourself professionally it’s a tough decision. Luckily, I have always gone by my middle name Kelly. So I dropped my first name and made my maiden name my middle name 🙂
To you point on Google… I tend to put my professional posts solely on Google and refrain from the personal. Facebook is as personal as I get in that I share photos of my children. I was happy there was not a prolific set of results featuring my little girls!
LikeLike