Google just launched Google Romance! Not. It’s the latest anticipated April Fools prank, but it’s not as good as Robert Scoble’s prank. But on a serious note, Google is a serious romance tool. It is perhaps the most used and most important tool among lonely hearts who: a) frequent dating Web sites, b) agree to go on a blind date or c) date at all, really. Want to make sure your prospective mate is not a felon? Then Google him (or her)! The search engine will reveal an intimate and often infinite digital history, and it will grow over time before your eyes.
But affinity for Google and its powerful people search goes way beyond those who date. Here’s my quick take at a Top 10 list of the types of people who use Google to investigate other individuals, ranked in order of intensity and passion (though ranking is tricky here):
- Paranoid and overbearing government agencies (like the U.S. Justice Department or China)
- People dating
- People married
- The HR department (or hiring managers)
- Biographers and fans
- Lawyers and journalists
- Crime fighters
- People themselves (ego searches)
- People planning to commit a crime against someone else
- Business competitors
What do you think? Who’s missing? How would you order this list? What does this list really say about us?