My Facebook page jumped to #1 for "my common name"

[dgdclynx]

Being an author I regularly Google my name to see if I am getting promotion anywhere. I have a common name with, say, fifty of the same name on Facebook.

What has been happening the past few days is that my Facebook entry has jumped to No 1 in the Listings. My normal website entry is in the 70s. Most peculiar. One day Google and Facebook gave searchers the choice of choosing between all fifty of us. I wonder if they will settle on that clumsy presentation eventually. But for the moment I am Number One and wondering if this is going to produce unwanted Facebook Friend requests to be rejected cos I value my privacy on Facebook.

[tedster]

You certainly might get some unwanted attention and friend requests from that jump in ranking. It's a paradox to want both publicity and privacy at the same time, isn't it? But that's where today's culture is at, and only a very few A-list "celebrities" seem to have found the secreet balance. The restof us, well, we do the best we can.

[ergophobe]

Just to mention the obvious... you're not logged into a Google account and don't have search history on or anything like that by any chance?

[dgdclynx]

I do have registration on Google. That would explain how out of the fifty of us they plonked me on the Listings. Never thought of that. Thanks.

[dgdclynx]

And what will happen if another person sharing my name opens a Google accout? Would that cause multiple entries?

[ergophobe]

Have a look at Is my own website ranking higher because of personalized search [webmasterworld.com]

I don't believe that the name would have anything to do with it. But if you have search history on (and even if you have it off in some cases), Google would know that when this account searches for this phrase it goes to this page, so let's put that page #1.

So if I'm stalking you and I'm on my account with my name, and I do a search every day on your name and most commonly click through to your Facebook page, in theory Google personalized search should start ranking that page higher in my search results whereas if I never search on myself, the results of searches on my name would be unaffected.

[dgdclynx]

Thanks. That explains it.