But you already know this, right? If not, I recommend reading this article from LawJobs.com very closely (particularly if you’re looking for a new job):
"Plug a prospective employee’s name into Google or any other Internet search engine, and you might be surprised at what you find. Web pages may tell hiring attorneys that the person they just interviewed wrote for an undergraduate newspaper or belonged to a specific sorority, but the Web may also reveal the recent interviewee’s drink of choice and dating status.
"The advent of social networking Web sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Friendster have added a wealth of previously personal information to the Internet, some of which job seekers may prefer to keep private and out of an employer’s hands.
[snip]
"No more is an interviewer’s information about a job seeker limited to a résumé, cover letter and professional references. Now, it seems that Google [& other search engines] can produce more information about a person than his or her FBI file. And therein lies the rub."
BTW, a perfect example of how easy it is to find information on the web is the answer to this detail: "Author Michael D. Mann is a litigation associate in the New York office of a major law firm that asked not to be disclosed."
It is indeed important to be aware of what one posts on the internet. It really is akin to the idea of the “public square.” The internet is a public space and use thereof is now so commonplace that one dare not do anything on the internet that he or she would not be willing to do elsewhere in public. The example of the writer’s firm wishing to remain undisclosed demonstrates the ease of access that any smart researcher has at his fingertips. One such example from my own life exists in the transcript of a television program that aired at a time I was operating a franchise business. I have since closed the business, but I continue to receive calls from parties interested in the territory. First they locate the article. Then they locate my name. Then they do a google search and find my phone number…it really is that easy. Scary!