If I like a professor or teacher I will try to dig up info on them on google. Sometimes the info is good like a homepage, an article about them from years ago or a personal page they have (its nice to see professors or teachers in a human setting outside the classroom with issues, vulnerabilities, agendas, etc that have nothing to do with class).
I’m not going to quit doing it or anything, but does this come across as creepy in any way?
I don’t think so. But, then, I learned the hard way not to tell girlfriends that you googled them. FYI.
Is it wrong I google your professors?
I don’t think it’s creepy. Only because I did the same thing last year.
In my defense, that was the period when I understood the academic world, and thought I could find out more about them and their work through google. It was actually pretty interesting, and it gave me greater respect for them.
I do this all the time and I almost always find really interesting things about them. Most professors won’t tell you about their articles written for major journals and magazines, you have to look yourself. Almost always you respect them a lot more, especially when you can’t understand every other word in one of their articles.
It’s perfectly normal. I have profs who maintain websites for this purpose. Also, if you’re thinking of studying in their area, or grad school, or are looking for an adviser, it’s a good way to find out if they do work you’re interested in.
Heck, I’ve Googled my own colleagues and even read the graffitti at RateMyProfessors. A lot of us do the latter. If we think someone has been unfairly maligned, we post a response. We even post about ourselves, but in the guise of students. Of course, that does tend to skew things.