How To Remove Personal Info From Google Searches

Recently I discovered that my name, address and phone number were coming up in Google searches of my name, without my knowledge. It took me a couple of hours of searching, reading, testing and more testing to have that personal information removed. If you've had the same thing happen to you, listen up because I'm about to share my valuable, Yoda-like knowledge with you.

First a little background, I've been working on my own professional website for the last couple of months. It's a site with links to my writing, an about page, a page with my video work and a page with a copy of my resume, including a link to a resume PDF so prospective employers can download it. Because the site is still a work in progress, I put a password on it.

I also Google myself and my blog URL on a fairly regular basis. It's how I find out if someone's stealing my posts, and how I find out if someone's saying good things about me or, God forbid, bad things about me.

So there I am, Googling myself, and among the results is the PDF file I uploaded of my resume, with an excerpt of the top of the page, including my name, address and phone number.

As an example, let's say my name is Jane Doe and my professional site is JaneDoe.com. The Google search for Jane Doe came up like this:

Notice how Jane's address, phone number and email address are included in the excerpt of the search result. Not what she or I wanted.

Good Old Fashioned Link Lovin': "Project Runway," TV's Lack of Diversity & Fat Asses

I've been reading some very good posts lately so I thought it was time to share some good old fashioned link lovin'.

*An interview with "Project Runway" finalist Korto Momolu at Mahogany Butterfly.  Read about what she's up to next. 

*At Aunt Jemima's Revenge, there's a post about the lack of black people on primetime TV.  Come on Hollywood!  What is the problem?  I know you're all afraid of taking risks---ooooo, I'm scared!---but NBC would be ripe to do something different since no one's watching them anyway.  Aunt Jemima has a boatload of ideas for you in her post.  Just make sure you put her name on a check when you use them.

Last year I wrote a post about the USA cable show, "In Plain Sight" and how it should have had a woman of color in the lead.  Just this morning, Whoopi Goldberg was saying on "The View" that every movie role she's had were written for white actors.  Come on Hollywood!  We've got a black President, for God sakes!

*If you haven't read Black and Married With Kids and you're black and married with kids--go read it.  Even if you're not black or married or with kids.

*Just for fun, take a look at Daisy Church's Drawing A Day.  That's what they are, daily drawings by Daisy.  And they're cool.

*Twitter author guidelines by Karel Vredenburg on his blog.  Just because Twitter only allows tweets to be a maximum of 140 characters, doesn't mean those characters shouldn't be well chosen. 

*I got that previous link via @GrammarGirl on Twitter, and she had her own great suggestions about writing on Twitter.

*Fellow BlogHer CE Mir Kamin has penned a post on BlogHer about how one woman thinks the Kindle will destroy civilization as we know it.

*Speaking of BlogHer, the annual conference in July has sold out.  You can still get on a waiting list, but if you've wait too long, you might be out of luck.

* Finally a special thanks to Gena Haskett of Out On The Stoop for coming up with the banner in my sidebar that says, "In Solidarity Kiss My Big Fat Ass!"  It's in honor of Meghan McCain and was her response on "The View" to radio talk show host, Laura Ingraham for calling her fat.  Ms. McCain decided to paraphrase Tyra Banks who gave the same message to the tabloids last year for picking apart a picture of her in a bathing suit.

Fat ass women united!

Ready Or Not, Digital TV Is Coming

Do you know that on midnight Feb 18th television as we know it will cease to exist?  Now don't panic. For most of you that won't be a problem because you have cable TV, satellite TV or a TV set that receives digital TV signals. 

However for the rest of you---several million households---you're going to have to take action to make sure your weekly fix of "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," or "CSI" isn't interrupted. That's because the government has mandated that as of midnight February 18th all television stations must stop broadcasting analog signals and broadcast digital signals only.   

If you don't have cable or satellite TV and your TV doesn't receive digital signals--you'll have to check your TV manufacturer's manual or website to find that out--you'll have to get an analog to digital converter box. 

The boxes cost between $40 and $70 but the government is issuing $40 discount coupons to help with the purchase of the boxes.  So for example, a $60 box will only cost you $20.  The boxes are being sold at major electronic stores and by electronic retailers online.  Sounds fairly simple doesn't it? 

Well it is, and it isn't.

President-Elect Barack Obama: From "60 Minutes" to YouTube

Hang on folks 'cause we're about to have a "YouTube President" in the White House.  Yes, it's true he may now have to give up his BlackBerry, but that doesn't mean his administration won't use the media and the internet in ways that have only been imagined in politics before.

Last night President-elect Barack Obama did his first televised interview since the election with Steve Kroft of "60 Minutes." And though interviews by new presidents on "60 Minutes" are not new, the way Mr. Obama has used the media to his advantage rivals that of The Great Communicator himself, the late President Ronald Reagan.

Laura Ingalls Wilder From The Prairie To TV To...Twitter?

What do you think of when I say "Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder?"  Do you think of summer afternoons reading about little Laura, her family and their adventures on the prairie?  Do you think of the TV show starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson?  Do you think Twitter? 

Yeah, you heard me, Twitter.  Hold onto your bonnets, people 'cause you remember sweet little Laura?  Well she's a 21st century lady now and that means she's on Twitter.

HalfPintIngalls is her name and tweeting is her game.  Half Pint, which was Pa's nickname for Laura, writes about life on the prairie, Ma, Pa, and sister Mary, but she also gives us a subtle take on modern issues as well.