Job seekers

Not everyone will admit that they Google themselves. It can sound kind of vain. But most people really do want to know what's being said about them.

It makes sense. Who wouldn't want to eavesdrop on the collective consciousness? Plus, we know that potential employers, customers and even dates are using it to form opinions about us, so it's smart to find out what the word on the street is.

With any luck, you'll like what you see. For many people, it's a showcase of their most noteworthy accomplishments: awards won, articles written, donations to charity, affiliations with upstanding organizations. Some people's results are dominated by their contributions to social media, including blog posts they've written or YouTube videos they've created (which can be good or bad, depending on what you've put out there).

Unfortunately, for some people, Google unearths unflattering profiles, bad reviews, or even slanderous content. Maybe you crossed the wrong blogger. Maybe you have a more serious PR problem. Heck, maybe you're in the mafia. Sometimes, there's information out there that isn't even true.

If you don't like what you see, at least you'll have some insight as to why you didn't get a second interview or why that girl never called you back. The first step towards improving your online reputation is knowing you have a problem!

What sorts of unexpected things have you found looking yourself up on Google or Bing?

There was a story a while back about a juror who got in some hot water when he tried to friend the defendant on Facebook. Who knows — maybe he thought the defendant was cute, maybe he was just trying to get ejected from the trial — but he ended up getting slapped with a contempt of court charge and two days of community service.

The stakes aren't usually so high for friending, and we all know that a “friend” in Facebook-land isn’t always a real-life friend. But it does raise some questions about who is fair game and whom you should probably leave off your list.

In addition to defendants in trials (which, frankly, seems like a no-brainer), here are some other people you should think twice about friending:

Teachers. Teachers and students is a topic all its own, but unless there's a well-established open-door policy, don't assume your teacher wants to be in your inner circle.

Your mom. Judgment call. If you're going to be friends with your family, you have to make sure everything you say is family-friendly. Of course, if it would shock your mom, you might not want to say it anyway… Just saying.

Your boss. There are plenty of instances of interoffice friending; there are also lots of stories about people losing their jobs over what they posted on Facebook.

Strangers who friended you. It'll happen. Those mysterious friend requests from total strangers. Resist the temptation to boost your friend count. Think of it like your front door: You don't have to open it just because someone knocks.

Your parole officer. 'Nuff said.