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The other end of the spectrum has its own problems too. My first and last names are both quite rare — deliberately so, thanks to my parents. That means when som
by Yetino 11mo ago
The other end of the spectrum has its own problems too. My first and last names are both quite rare — deliberately so, thanks to my parents. That means when someone, say a potential employer, googles my name, it’s reasonable for them to assume every result they see is about me.
For a while, I actually liked that. It felt like having a unique identity online. Until one day I discovered someone else had created a YouTube channel under the exact same name. Presumably they happen to share this unusual combination legitimately — but the content on that channel wasn’t exactly what I’d want showing up when someone searches for me.
I tried to “correct the record” by setting up my own channel, just to add some better signals. But since YouTube isn’t my thing, my videos barely register, and Google still insists on showing the other person’s channel first.
- eru 11mo agoI wonder if I'm accidentally doing that to someone. My complete name is rare, but I share it with a journalist who's quite a bit older than me.
- reactordev 11mo agoThis is why actors and musicians use stage names.
- eru 11mo agoUsing a stage name doesn't protect you from someone else coming along later and sharing the same name (as your stage name). If you are famous enough, people might even deliberately name their kids after you.
- reactordev 11mo agoHere you can trademark the name and sue anyone who uses it…
- fortran77 11mo agoMy firstname / lastname isn’t common but if you google it you get a disbarred attorney with the same name. I’ve been asked on interviews about being disbarred; I know then that someone at the company is a sloppy “researcher”.