# What advantage is there to Google seeing our threads?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [May 26, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651 "2009-05-26T04:06:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/1 "2009-05-26T04:06:17Z")
I just accidentally reran a search on “passing trains that have no names” and my post from a few minutes ago came up #1 on Google. After nearly a decade of being invisible to the greater community I am uncomfortable with this. Can we end this or should I ask Tubadiva to delete any posts or reports that contain my real name? It’s not that they embarrass me, but being associated with Cecil’s articles about boobs and anal sex does not reflect well on me, a job seeker.
Yeah, I shoulda thought about that first, but back then Google ignored us and a vanity search left me at the bottom of ten pages of soap opera synopses and I felt safe.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/2 "2009-05-26T05:17:47Z")
Historically, board policy seems to be that if you reveal something you might be sorry about, tough luck bub. Personally, I think that’s a rather silly policy, but there it is.
As to why Google is here, it has to do with bringing in new users. Given that lots of factual questions are asked on the boards and lots of people using Google are looking for answers to just those questions, it’s pretty likely that Google readability is perhaps our greatest source for self-advertising. Looking at [big-boards.com](http://big-boards.com), it looks like our membership has increased by ~10,000 people in just the last year. Supposedly, previous to returning to free posting, our membership had been at a plateau for some time.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/3 "2009-05-26T16:31:42Z")
Q: What advantage is there to Google seeing our threads?
A: Maybe you’ve seen posts in ATMB complaining about the search function at this message board? I could have sworn I’ve seen one or two. I even seem to remember people asking why we wouldn’t let Google index the board so that they could use the Google search engine to find old threads.
dropzone, I did the same Google search for “passing trains that have no names” and in the thread I found I didn’t see your “real name” anywhere. Did you often post your real name?
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/4 "2009-05-26T16:39:27Z")
It does give people an option other than the board’s search function. But mostly it brings new people to the board and I thought that was the primary appeal.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/5 "2009-05-26T20:00:31Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#):
>
> dropzone, I did the same Google search for “passing trains that have no names” and in the thread I found I didn’t see your “real name” anywhere. Did you often post your real name?
On one Staff Report and in a thread based on it, to show that \*\*dropzone \*\*was the same guy as what wrote it, but I was employed at the time. I’m not nearly as concerned with what I write as I am with what Cecil writes; I’m a bit of a prude and Cecil can be ones rowdy and embarassing, but fun, uncle.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/6 "2009-05-26T20:56:56Z")
Talk to me off the board and let’s see what we can do to take your name out of it, dropzone.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/7 "2009-05-26T21:04:02Z")
Note that staff reports have always been Googleable.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/8 "2009-05-26T21:58:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Note that staff reports have always been Googleable.
Is Googleable even a word? I know it’s creeped into our language as a verb but I’ll want stronger evidence before we allow people here to start using it as an adjective, participle, article, pronoun, preposition, adverb and/or conjunction. I’m off to do some jeevesing to settle this matter, if such a matter is altavistable.
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### Author:  [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/9 "2009-05-27T06:53:52Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#):
>
> Is Googleable even a word? I know it’s creeped into our language as a verb but I’ll want stronger evidence before we allow people here to start using it as an adjective, participle, article, pronoun, preposition, adverb and/or conjunction. I’m off to do some jeevesing to settle this matter, if such a matter is altavistable.
Stop threadcheneying!
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### Author:  [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/10 "2009-05-27T08:55:36Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#):
>
> Is Googleable even a word? I know it’s creeped into our language as a verb but I’ll want stronger evidence before we allow people here to start using it as an adjective, participle, article, pronoun, preposition, adverb and/or conjunction. I’m off to do some jeevesing to settle this matter, if such a matter is altavistable.
Never mind googleable is creeped really a word?
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### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/11 "2009-05-27T09:55:08Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#):
>
> Is Googleable even a word? I know it’s creeped into our language as a verb but I’ll want stronger evidence before we allow people here to start using it as an adjective, participle, article, pronoun, preposition, adverb and/or conjunction. I’m off to do some jeevesing to settle this matter, if such a matter is altavistable.
Yahoo! Go get 'em!
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/12 "2009-05-27T13:45:47Z")
> [@Vetch](#):
>
> Never mind googleable is creeped really a word?
Just checking to see if you guys were on your toes. I meant _crept_ of course.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/13 "2009-05-27T18:57:09Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> Talk to me off the board and let’s see what we can do to take your name out of it, dropzone.
No need, I suppose. The already-googleable staff report doesn’t come up until the second page of a vanity search and a prospective employer would probably give up when faced with all the false leads. There is an advantage to having a common first name and a last name that is also a verb.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/14 "2009-05-27T18:59:01Z")
Hope your job search is successful and all goes well.
If it does get to us we’ll put in a good word for you.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-advantage-is-there-to-google-seeing-our-threads/497651/15 "2009-05-27T20:59:27Z")
(blushing) Thanks!