I began my identity search by typing my phone number into Whitepages. I found information regarding my hometown and my cell phone carrier. I also saw that this site gives people the ability to find out the address, location, family members and other personal information about the cell phone number's owner if you paid. This shocked me.
Next, I explored FactFinder with my zip code. I found out the population(12960), median age (42.7), educational attainment (99%), number of housing units(4496), median income, and so on of my hometown. This site paints a good picture of my home town using statistical and numerical data.
On AccessDane, I searched my address here in Madison, and found all kinds of information about my apartment complex. Some of the information there I didn't even know, so that says something about the power of the internet.
On the New York Times site, I found information about the demographics of my hometown. Such as: over 40% of the people in my hometown have a master's degree or higher, 6% of people in my area earn less than $30000 a year, the median rent is $942, 97% of the population is white, and many more facts. This was so interesting to see information about my hometown in a way I have never before; in numbers.
As I looked through social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, I was surprised to see all the information I could find. All of my tweets were there and available for everyone to see, and I saw a random group of pictures and post from Facebook. I also found it interesting to see how many Emily McGanns there are all over the world. In terms of social media, I feel as though you have to know who you're looking for, otherwise all the information is so overwhelming.
Concluding with my Google search, the majority of what popped up was profiles to an array of sites, from Linkedin to Pintrest. From what was actually relevant to me, most of what I found related to my high school soccer career, from articles to pictures, which was enjoyable and interesting to see. I didn't find anything that I considered "bad,"but this really opened my eyes about how accessible EVERYTHING is on the internet. It is important that we monitor and clean up the things we decide to post in our name to the Internet.
I agree with your last point that it is important to monitor what we post on the web. Many potential employers search for applicants online and it is important that they get a good first impression.
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