Type my name, unquoted, into Google. My site, my public face, is number one. It’s true for Yahoo and Live too. The algorithms are being nice today.
If I had a number one frequent name, I’d be immensely satisfied. All it took my rarer name was web presence and persistence. Still, I feel the chuff.
As a kid living outside Wales, my personal name was unusual. No other kids shared it. The great poet made it known. The BBC kept it alive. The American singer, another brilliant wordsmith, he spread it. Now it’s common, even the full name.
Ignoring an acrobatic cat in Croydon, I met no one with my name until my 30s. The first time was startling. For a moment, that other person was me, had stolen myself away from me. It took a few seconds for that reaction to feel silly, but years for the disquiet of losing the uniqueness to fade.
So I’ve no justification for my google ego boo. But all the same … :-) .
