Have you Spokeo'd lately? No? Well maybe you should.
I first learned about Spokeo through an AR blog some time ago and made a note to check it out. I did. Spokeo has me spooked.
Spokeo claims to be "a people search engine that organizes vast quantities of white-pages listings, social information, and other people-related data from a large variety of public sources."
Spokeo knows it all, or so they claim. But here's the catch, half of the information is
incorrect. What is really shocking is that my Spokeo came up on the first page of a major search engine ... even before my website, my blog, my FB, my LinkedIn....
Spokeo claimed to know a lot about me, from tax record information that anybody could find to very personal information that is frankly nobody's business - information that is so private that I don't even discuss it on my personal Facebook page.
In the end Spokeo is drawing a pretty comprehensive picture of me - but I didn't fully recognize me, it was only half-me at best. And therein lies a major problem in my humble opinion. We are in a people business. Potential clients are likely to Google or Bing or Yahoo me - anything in that comprehensive but not fully true profile of me could throw somebody off and result in me not receiving a contact request. I have a problem with that.
My blog on Active Rain says a lot about me. If you would like to know what I am all about, my blog will give you a pretty good insight. Hopefully you'll like what you see and contact me for a meeting to see if we get a long (that we must if your Real Estate adventure is to be a pleasant one)! If you don't like what you see, then that is too bad but I can live with that because it was me who put the information there. I know that information to be true and have no problem with sharing the things I do. I am a proud Military spouse and make no secret of it. I am a proud Mama and see no reason to hide that. But there are just some things that are not meant to be shared with the whole world.
Spokeo makes me feel like an easy target. Maybe I'm overreacting a tad here but after a couple of experiences with lunatics and stalkers, I just can't be too careful. Spokeo knew or claimed to know: (incorrect information is marked with an X)
1. my gender
2. my age
3. my race (the color of my skin matters how exactly? It's almost 2012 people!)
3. my marital status
4. my education X
5. my occupation
6. my hobbies X (supposedly I'm also a collector, but they wouldn't tell me of what)
7. my zodiac sign (my characteristics and whom I am compatible with - Junior High anyone?)
8. my political beliefs X
9. my religious beliefs X
10. my address
11. my property value X (affiliated with Zillow?)
12. my neighborhood information
13. satellite view of my house X
14. number of people in my household X
15. length of residence
I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Supposedly one can also find email-addresses, phone numbers, wealth and lifestyle info, all sorts of neighborhood info, economic health ... when one signs up and pays to see the more exclusive info. To tell you the truth, I really wanted to know what else Spokeo claimed to know about me but I was scared to. Spokeo has me spooked!
Spokeo doesn't like for you to delete your profile but delete it you can. Well, I'm no tech-geek and maybe they have me fooled but I did what I was supposed to and the information is no longer there. *phew* Of course, deleting doesn't go without a warning or two or three: according to Spokeo all the information that they are displaying can be found online some place. I know this not to be true.
Just to prove my point, here's a great (and funny) example: Spokeo claimed that I am interested in Sailing! Ha! I get sea-sick and unless it's a do or die situation, I will not step foot on a boat. Spokeo, you wouldn't happen to think so because my husband is in the NAVY?
Spokeo also claims that I'm living with a 40 yr. old female. My husband is a man. Trust me on that - I know!
So I deleted my profile. (copy URL, paste, wait for confirmation email: YES. PLEASE!)
And then - after a 48 hour wait - things got really funny: Spokeo now has a new profile for me but it's not so much personal than business. It is now listing my email address with the broker I was affiliated with until December of 2008 (please do not email me there, I'm long gone) and apparently I'm rich (who knew?) as my "property" which is really the office I used to work at is valued at a whooping 10.2 Million Dollars! Sounds nice... but not true.
Spokeo guarantees a 100% satisfaction - I think they owe me $10.2 mil!
So, if you haven't Spokeo'd lately, you should! You might just find out a lot about yourself that you didn't even know!
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