Saved by Google!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ross Stapleton-Gray <amicus () well com>
Date: October 19, 2004 12:27:07 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net, johnmac's living room  
<johnmacsgroup () yahoogroups com>
Subject: Saved by Google!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3755154.stm

"An Australian journalist kidnapped in Iraq was freed after his captors  
checked the popular internet search engine Google to confirm his  
identity..."

Wonderful news, though it gets me thinking.  Firstly, if I'm ever  
kidnapped in Iraq, I'm toast; Googling on "stapleton internet hunt" w/o  
the quotes will seal my doom.  I think the little experiment that Rick  
Gates and I did in June 1993 was the first "Internet man-hunt," and  
while some of my management had fits, it was a nifty little experience.

Secondly, I'd greatly recommend Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair"  
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0142001805/103-0673000 
-7191064?v=glance) as a wonderful first novel (and he's written several  
others in the series) on the oh-so-thin line between what is written,  
and what is.  Read the Amazon reviews... this is a great escapist read  
in a nasty election season.  (Also worth noting in passing the position  
that Amazon holds as "the site of reference for books."  I'd venture to  
guess that most people mentioning books use Amazon for the cites, and  
that page above will even give you excerpts.  I don't think that Amazon  
will retain this role in the long term--I'll have a paper out soon  
discussing why--but we're in an interesting evolutionary phase of the  
Net.)

Lastly, it makes me wonder if there won't be a business niche for  
"reputation restoration" (and "The Eyre Affair" just oozes wonderful  
ideas re stretching time and content), with skilled operatives using  
the tools of text editing, strategic e-mailing, and litigation, to  
expunge negative Web content, and assert new, more positive spin.  Want  
to run for president in 2008?  Better start now to reshape the virtual  
landscape into something more flattering to your image...

Ross




-----

Ross Stapleton-Gray, Ph.D., CISSP
Stapleton-Gray & Associates, Inc.
http://www.stapleton-gray.com


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