Saturday, February 20, 2010

Flick's Tricks for More Google Clicks

Is "Googlier" a word? If not, I'm taking this occasion to invent it. Because I need it for a New Year's resolution.
Last year I resolved to get healthier - which I did, incredibly enough - and this year I'm resolving to get Googlier. As in: being able to Google oneself and find more than one or two obscure references.
Those references, in my case, pertain to my somewhat less than prestigious close-to-last place standings in the Oatmeal Festival 5K Run/Walk. (In case it's not obvious, I was a contender in the " /Walk" portion, not the " Run/" portion.)
Google results show me as finisher #580 out of approximately 581 contestants one year. And, of course, there's no way to explain to the general Google race results-viewing public that this can be somewhat attributed to my friend's dog!
I'm not saying I would have been in the top 50 without Flick (whose name has been changed to protect him from negative publicity.) Or even the top 450. But I might have made it into a coveted Top 550 slot.
The Oatmeal Festival 5K, at least when I last participated, allows contestants to bring their dogs along for the fun and exercise. So my friend and I decided to include Flick, a loveable Malamute, in our foray into the highly competitive world of community-sponsored run/walk events.
But first, we had to detour slightly off the beaten track to pick him up and outfit him with a leash. And then, we hadn't taken into consideration the fact that Flick is a dog of the sociable persuasion. Every encounter with another dog along the race route -- and there were a lot of other dogs -- called for the standard meet and greet routine.
Flick could write the manual on social networking skills. If there were a Doggie Facebook, he'd have hundreds of friends. If you could Google individual dogs (would this be called Pooch Googling? Poodle Google?), Flick would show up on the first page of results without resorting to an Advanced Search.
Once, when we were on just a regular old walk around town and passed by the grain elevator far from Flick's residence, one of the employees came outside, and completely oblivious to the human component of our walking group, nodded and said, "Hi there, Flick!"
So this is one very popular dog-around-town. And what with the obligatory social functions to perform, one thing led to another until it dawned on us that we were at the tail end (no pun intended) of the race, along with a few other stragglers.
As the bright yellow finish tape appeared in the distance, there were still a few contestants trailing us.
Suddenly our canine companion made a beeline for the side of the road and began a telltale sniffing and circling ritual. And sure enough...well, not to be indelicate about it, but...finding a plastic bag and trash receptacle into which to deposit the evidence took just long enough that the stragglers behind us surged ahead, crossing the finish line moments ahead of us.
I put on a last-minute burst of speed as we approached the yellow tape and, with the Quaker Oats man motioning us on, I made it through scant seconds ahead of my friend.
Thus, while Google history recorded me as #580, Flick will have to answer for the fact that my friend filled the #581 position.
In a subsequent year's attempt to redeem myself, I placed 829 out of approximately 900 entrants. Um...there was no dog to blame it on that time, so maybe, just maybe, I'm a slow walker.
I figure at this rate, with the number of contestants increasing yearly, if you Google me in the year 2030, I will have moved up to #3000 out of 3100 entrants.
So I'm looking for suggestions on how to make myself somewhat "Googlier".
Maybe I could use a few pointers from Flick!

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