Google Yourself…For Fun and Necessity

AP is reporting here on a recent study by Pew Internet and American Life Project that found that 47 percent of US adult internet users have searched for information about themselves through Google or some other search engine. That’s double the percentage of users who did so in 2002. Mary Madden, a Pew research specialist quoted in the article expressed some surprise that more users don’t engage in “self-searching,” particularly with the increase in content that’s posted about us on the Internet.

For lawyers practicing in an Internet age, self-searching isn’t just an act of fun or vanity, but one of absolute business necessity. In this electronic era, we must assume that existing and prospective clients and colleagues will search for us on Google, so we need to stay ahead by always keeping on top of what’s out there.