<p>“with some of the typical, American-sounding names, you might find 200 or 400 listings for people who have that same name in the U.S.”</p>
<p>True, but when you add the person’s city or high school, it’s far easier to narrow things down.</p>
<p>It seems as if some here think they are going to find out everything about someone by googling that person’s name. All I’ve ever found is random bits of info. Someone volunteered at the library and got recognized, someone was in a play, someone ran in some races – it’s so random. Unlikely to find out much at all. And what is on the internet is just a tiny part of that person’s activities. If you google the people in my family, you will not get an accurate picture at all of who they are, or even a good idea of what they are involved in. You will get hits of a few random things they have been involved in.</p>
<p>This is a story in my local newspaper. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1330517.html[/url]”>http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1330517.html</a> </p>
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<p>Googling a roommate is fine, but unless you parents plan on moving in and making the room a triple, it is best left to the family member who is actually going to be living with them…</p>
<p>FWIW, I Googled both of D’s roommates, but I didn’t do anything with that information. It was totally out of casual curiosity. I found out one of her roommates is a Jainist, which then sent me on a Wikipedia search to learn more about Jainism, which was really interesting. And her other roommate went to a tiny high school and spent the past year in Spain. I told D I googled them, she was amused, not offended - and she spent about 3 hours on the phone with her roommates yesterday, so I think they are already getting along really well.</p>
<p>I sat down with my Mom at her request and showed her my future roommate’s Facebook the day I found out his name. It wound up being a good thing too- Facebook (which lets you see a person’s interests, beliefs, friends, and photos) is a much better resource than google, which tends to focus only on a person’s most public life.
I think most of us kids understand that our parents like to at least know what’s going on in their kids’ lives.</p>
<p>I would personally find it weird if my mom had googled my roommate. Something about that just screams creepy to me. However, she did come with me last year on move in day and met my roommate. </p>
<p>She’s helping me move in some stuff again this year, so she’s going to end up meeting my roommates.</p>
<p>Out of curiousity, I googled myself and found that I come up legit three times on the first page (and I don’t have a common name). Once for a class seating chart, and then twice for the times I was in the newspaper this past year for my special project I worked on.</p>
<p>I never would have thought of googling my daughter’s roommate, but I must admit I was momentarily tempted when I saw this thread title…but I resisted! Just out of curiousity, though, I googled my daughter, and if her roomie’s mom succumbs to temptation she’ll find out that D is a national academic award-winner and a not-so-fast cross country runner…and a chili cook-off champ!</p>
<p>I am not sure why the word creepy keeps being used in this thread. Maybe over protective, or over involved, but creepy??</p>
<p>These are your parents you are talking about. They have brought your up for 18 years, and it is very possible that some of your success may have been helped along by their involvement in your lives. Maybe it is time for them to back off, or maybe not? </p>
<p>The generation that is off to college has been very free and easy with thier information. Why are they suprised and creeped out that someone is checking it out? We are not talking about sneaking into someones private information, nor are we talking about the parents contacting the roomies. </p>
<p>Come to terms with that fact your parents cannot switch off their interests in your life, and when you come to think about it, do you really want them to? also come to terms with the fact that some people are just naturally curious about others, and with the internet it all becomes so durn easy!</p>
<p>The kid’s sock drawer is also right there and easy to access–did you snoop there too? Under the bed?
I think internet snooping of college roommates is creepy and borderline psycho.</p>
<p>“The kid’s sock drawer is also right there and easy to access–did you snoop there too?”</p>
<p>Hey, I never thought about that!? Do kids hide things in sock drawers? ;)</p>
<p>Not the same. Kids are filling the net with info about themselves.</p>
<p>“The kid’s sock drawer is also right there and easy to access–did you snoop there too? Under the bed?
I think internet snooping of college roommates is creepy and borderline psycho.”</p>
<p>Sounds to me like you’re a bit out of date. The Internet is public information, not private info like one’s sock drawer. It’s perfectly normal now for prospective employers to Google potential hires, for people to Google prospective dates, and for people to Google potential roommates as well as their kids’ potential roommates.</p>
<p>Yes people such as the other students–not their stalker parents. If the kid want to do it fine.
What are you going to do with the info–ask the roomie about his interest in bondage videos or the music of John Prine? Or just try not to let it slip that you KNOW things??</p>
<p>I would not google anyone who is not in consideration of a direct business relationship, with ME. I certainly would not google anyone who is a friend of my daughter’s, or about to be her roommate, or her potential new boss, etc. It’s just sort of creepy, and it strikes me as inappropriately obsessive. Besides, you cannot really tell anything much about a person in terms of risk issues from just a google search…</p>
<p>A couple of years ago, in business, it would be common that I would arrive for a first meeting, and someone would say to me “I googled you”. The past year or so however, people have been asking “may I google you” - they’ll get permission first. I always give permission, but, it’s interesting to note the shift in business etiquette.</p>
<p>Creepy? Kids (and adults) put a ton of personal info about themselves out on the internet, a public place where about a billion people can freely see it, and then get offended if any anybody actually looks at it? Gimme a break.</p>
<p>It’s not that the other party would get offended. I certainly am not offended if I’m googled. It’s just the idea of creeping around, looking up someone else. In other words, the creepy-ishness is the behavior of the person doing the googling…it feels sort of like peeking in someone’s windows - after all, the windows in a house are there for anyone to freely see, and if the window dressings are open, people can see right in, but, it would be creepy to actually make an effort to see the detail inside someone’s house…</p>
<p>I think it’s different, if, say, you’re in a business relationship of some sort, or considering beginning one - then, it makes sense to look up the person’s speeches, public remarks, press releases, awards, etc. as part of the credentialing process. But - as I posted earlier, lately, people have been asking permission. However, it strikes me as creepy and intrusive if it’s not YOUR relationship, but rather your son’s/daughter’s, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t buy the “peeking in windows” analogy. People put windows in their houses primarily to let light in and to view out, not to let people view in and then get huffy if they do.
If you post something on the internet you are asking for people to look. Many people under 25 think that it’s normal and fine for someone their age to look at anything they post and then get all defensive if an employer, parent or teacher looks and forms an opinion based on what was presented to be viewed.</p>
<p>What about stuff posted by others–friends–former friends–enemies. You have little idea who posted what and when. It would be easy to post all sorts of crap about someone you dislike true and untrue or just stupid.</p>
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<p>Yes, a better analogy of the internet to your house would be if you constantly parked your new SUV out in the driveway. It would not be “creepy” for your neighbors to look at your house and notice that you own an SUV. Like the information on web pages, the SUV in your driveway would be on public display for anyone to take notice of.</p>