Much of the time when I meet someone, I google them. Sometimes I’ll google them after meeting, but more importantly if it’s an arranged meeting with someone I’ll google them before meeting them. To me, this is normal.

I’ve also been cognizant of whether others do some investigating of me. Sometimes I’ll hear subtle clues, for example if I mention something I’ve written recently some people will tell me that they did read it. I’ve found it more striking, though, when it becomes apparent that someone has not even done a simple Google search and I think they should have.

Why should someone try to find information on the web about another person? Well! A thousand and one reasons, of course. It can help in social situations. I’m learning how to golf, for example. I’m pretty bad still, but enjoying and looking forward to the ground drying out so I can play some more this summer. Someone I meet who’s read that could get a conversation going with me about golfing.

But, more important than easing over awkward social situations, you can find out things you need to know about people you’re about to do business with. Hiring a new freelancer to do some coding for your website? What does Google turn up about that person? You’d be surprised. I have avoided freelancers in the past as a result of information turned up on basic searches. You should too.

Adam Darowski tells us that The Blog is the New Resume. (hat tip to Bijan Sabet for pointing to that post) I do get a bit surprised when someone asks to see my resume. I think it’s so obsolete. I don’t believe that it necessarily has to be a blog, but creating a web presence seems to me a more effective way of showing potential employers, business partners, or investors who you are and what you’ve done.

But, still, Google shows more. Google even shows what you wrote on the Usenet back before the web became popular. Some people make it easy for others to find them online. Me, for example. On most community and social networking sites I use the same account name, petertdavis. So, google petertdavis and it shows up nearly 20,000 entries. Follow those links and find tens of thousands of more things, articles I’ve written, items I’ve posted, images, designs, ideas, etc ad nauseam.

Google yourself today to see what image you’re projecting on the web. I don’t know any industry where this isn’t important. I hired a carpenter recently, and I googled him. If you want to work with web savvy people, it’s even more important.

I’m also surprised when I meet someone, and there’s nothing to be found about that person. I guess I’m so far into this now that living in obscurity seems alien. Even if someone’s in a witness relocation program, the Feds would be smart enough to create some info available on the web for their new identities, wouldn’t they? To make them seem real. Google yourself. Nothing there? Why not?

The other challenge I share with people with common names like Peter Davis, is how to make yourself stand out among the crowd. I started blogging early enough that my blog tends to stay near the top of the results for my name. I do better when my middle initial is used, Peter T Davis. I started using my middle initial quite a few years ago, when I came to realize just how many of us Peter Davises were out there. But there’s still plenty of stiff competition for Peter T Davis.

So, stop and think a moment, what your web presence says about you. What do you want it to say about you? If you’re not already, should you be using the web to gather information about people? We should all put at least as much thought into it as we put into resumes.