The biggest surprise to me when I googled myself is how little I was able to find. I know that I have left my digital footprint, but there are so many Carly Smiths out there that my items are generally lost in the shuffle. I was able to find some things under my previous (married) name because it’s more unique, but those items were limited to obituaries and articles about my former father-in-law. To further complicate my search, Carly is not my legal first name. My phone number and address are not listed under “Carly” and even when searching my legal name I was unable to find those items due to the amount of Smiths that come up.

I am careful about how the items post online affect my image and I make a point to stay away from posting items that are too personal, controversial, or potentially embarrassing.  That said, in this instance I am actually thankful for my common name! I like the fact that if someone were searching me they would need to pour through multiple pages of people with the same name. Information about me is definitely out there, but unless you know me personally it can be confusing or hard to confirm.