Much of life is conducted online these days, at least in my demographic. I won’t ponder the positive and negative aspects of this (that’s a different post altogether), but I will say that I’ve recently had some weird experiences thanks to the internet.

The first issue involved a swipe at my own reputation. I’m officially over living alone, and looking into a roommate scenario. Thanks to rent-controlled existing leases and a skyrocketing market, the cheapest way to do this is to be the replacement roomie in an apartment that’s already occupied. Enter the world of endless emails to anonymous craigslist posters. Links to Facebook or MySpace profiles are considered a) useful; b) mandatory; or c) not required but “you might as well because we’ll look you up anyway”.

Under these circumstances, I’m assuming a Google search is likely as well. With this in mind, I decided to do a quick check on my own name. I was unhappy to discover that hit #1 was a blog post titled “Getting in Under 21″, in which the author had used one of my Flickr photos to illustrate a detailed explanation of how to evade various liquor-related laws. He had actually credited me for the image, which I greatly appreciate, but I’m not that interested in contributing to a crusade enabling underage drinking. I am also really, really not interested in having potential roommates think that’s my defining characteristic. With this in mind, I contacted the author, explained my situation, and he removed the photo credit.

Another recent experience involved someone else’s problem - a woman contacted me with a carefully veiled request to remove from Yelp my unflattering portrait of her business. As it happens, my description of a distasteful experience I had at her clothing boutique stands as my token scathing review. I described the situation in fairly objective terms (I was ignored by the owner while the only person in her small shop; she then fawned over a regular customer that walked in a bit later). I then described my feelings on the matter (angry; why do snobby people think they can make money trying to sell stuff?) and gave a low star rating.

The aloof owner herself messaged me, profusely apologizing and asserting that no one is ever treated that way in her store. She also said that she had never heard of Yelp, and that she was appalled to see such a bad review. I had a moment of guilt, and contemplated removing the post or adding an acknowledgment of her apology. However, the truth is that word of mouth has always been a crucial part of the success of a business. Treating customers badly comes back to haunt you. The difference here is that word of mouth is now searchable by anyone with an internet connection, and may stick around for years.

If there’s any moral to this post, I guess it is to Google your name and/or your business every once in a while. If you once made a habit of posting about your experiences on acid, you may find that you’ll need to change your name.

From the roommate wanted section of the San Francisco craigslist, titled “Looking for somebody to house sit for a year”:

Hey, the post is correct. I’m looking for someone in need of a room for a year in return for a fake marriage. You need to be between 30 and 40, white and bending the rules a little should not be a problem.

Given the cost of a San Francisco rental, this is a better deal than it may sound. Unfortunately for those interested in trading “love” for real estate, the post has been removed.