I would like to list a couple of reasons why I am thankful for Google (thanks for the reminder, Annika!), and it gets quite specific, and I have found that most of it is quite personal. There may be more to add to this list. I am thinking more upon it.
I am thankful for Google because:
— it brought Andrew back into my life through his sister Googling his name … and coming across this post I wrote about him, about a Valentine he gave me when we were in the 6th grade. And suddenly … suddenly … after writing that post … I get an email from Andrew … and I have literally not spoken to him or seen him for … 20 years? Amazing.
— Very significantly, it brought Keith M. back into my life. He Googled himself (I’m amazed by people who DON’T Google themselves. I am also baffled at those who judge the self-Googlers. “Wow. What does THAT say about her … she was Googling HERSELF.” Uhm yeah? And the problem with that would be? I Google myself every other minute, practically) … So anyway, Keith M. Googled his own name and eventually somehow came across this post. He knew immediately it was his old friend (my URL gives me away). He emailed me, saying, “I remember that kiss.” Causing my heart to do freakin’ backflips. I’m not kidding. It took me a good 24 hours to come down from that one. Keith!!! The high school quarterback! Star of our high school! I then saw him at my high school reunion and got to hang out with him – (“Sheila and I had some serious heat when we were 9″ said Keith to Beth) – and then wrote this huge post of acknowledgement about him, one of my most favorite things I’ve ever written. And now that Keith is back in my life – he read it. I mean … can you imagine? Reading something like that written about you by someone who was in love with you when you were 9? I don’t know. I was so emotional and so ALL ABOUT KEITH for a good 2 weeks … and it’s all because of Google. I was able to reconnect with and acknowledge an old and dear friend. Sniff.
— I was able to track down, through Googling a key search term, one of my most favorite childhood books ever.
— Along that same line … someone Googled “bimulous night” herself, months later – … and came across my post. Which then led her to be able to find the actual title of the book. The goofily ecstatic and bubbly excited email she sent me – a total stranger – brought tears to my eyes on a blue blue day.
— There’s so much more. Seriously. But so far – what comes up for me – is the human element. I know a lot of that is because the URL of my site is my name … I am not anonymous … and that has been a blessing and a curse. But when people like Keith M. emerge from the mists of time, through Google … and I am then able to tell him, as an adult, who he was to me, and the impression he made, and how special he truly was … and that Keith M. is able to take that with him … and know that … know that someone out there, his 9 year old friend, somehow saw him, saw the best in him … and carried that with her all these years …
Life-changing. When I look at it like that, Google has changed my life.
Not to mention the time wasting joy that is the Google fight.
Off topic, but Red, check your email!
I thank google for introducing me to your blog, which is my favorite blog to read every day. (I found your blog after googling your brother, who I know here in LA.)
Oh, and I totally google myself at least once a week.
I did some consulting for Google most of the month of August… fascinating culture, here’s a few examples:
The cafeteria food is amazing… LOTS of choices all cooked up by chefs: breakfast, lunch and dinner…oh, BTW, it’s all FREE.
Snack areas are full of cereals, candy bars, every drink you could think of, again all free.
They have their own bus service that goes out to the Mountain View/Palo Alto/San Jose area and picks up employees from home if they desire…
I could do an entire “expert essay” of going to the bathroom at Google if you’re interested.
I googled myself once. All i got were a bunch of articles written by some philosphy prof at Wisconsin. She even has the same middle initial. Its weird.
Google led me to your blog through one of your Humphrey Bogart posts, and that discovery has led to so much enjoyment, provoked so much thought, and produced both laughter and tears. I’ll be forever grateful.
I google myself every once in a while, but I get lots of papers written by a namesake who lives in Chile and seems to be a mathematical genius or something. I, on the other hand, come up in two or three pages and for very pedestrian reasons (field hockey teams I played in, a very short and unimpressive resumé in the website of the company I work for, etc). I bet when she googles herself and sees the references to my humble person, she must feel kind of pissed that I ruin her impeccable Google record! ;)
If you google yourself, you can go blind…
Sheil – Google and your blog brought two very important people back into my life – Allie and John Doherty
Jean – sniff sniff. Truly amazing. :)
Hey – we need to talk. HOW’S IT GOING?
I’ve been on the internet for almost exactly 19 years, so when I Google myself some really ancient stuff comes up. Back then, there was no Google or even the World Wide Web and no one expected any of it to be saved for the future. A lot of the time, I read some stupid crap I wrote and think, “Good Lord, what a moron.”