April Fool's! We're not turning our backs on investing -- though we did fool some of you.
So now that The Motley Fool is taking a break from investing, there's more time to spend on an important task on my everyday to-do list: Googling myself.
Today when I Googled myself, I found a blog post about an article I wrote last October. The article -- "Shoe Confessions" -- was a lighthearted little confection I wrote in friendlier financial times than these.
As the Google search results reveal, I have clearly struck a nerve with the very vocal digerati -- so much so that these resonant Web voices have been mining my Fool.com archives (available here) for emotional salve. To quote the aforementioned blog (which, thus far, has been viewed by 166 people and counting): "I've kept this article in a special place for a good time now (as date shows). It was an email chain that was mailed to me."
This afternoon, when I Google myself, I'll see how far the virtual wind has carried my words. I'll also expand my search to Google Scholar.
When I Google myself, I have to search multiple spellings of my name: "Dayanna Yochum," "Diana Yochim," "Dana Yochim," "Dayana Yoakam," "Matt Damon+Dayana Yochim." For clarification's sake, I am indeed the "Dana Yochim" referred to in this post about money and contentment. I am also one and the very same "Dayanna Yochim," who authored an article about debt and divorce referred to here, as well as "Diana Yochim" who wrote the "Cheap Travel Cheat Sheet" article which cfares.com found fit to list in its press area.
When I Google myself, I have to brace for the occasional hater. On page 12 of the Google search on my name, I found this person saying that my regifting tips weren't friendly enough to the environment. (I don't let such ugliness ruin my day. It's no big whoop, unless that Trystan person figures out how to SEO his or her posts.)
The one that does still sting when it shows in my search results is an open letter addressed to my bosses from the National Restaurant Association (NRA). The NRA disliked an article I wrote in 2004 about restaurant markups so much that they took time out from spitting in my food to pen that strongly worded missive. I still take a lot of echinacea before I eat out, to be safe.
Today, I Googled myself, and up popped a link to a Dave Barry blog post where he referred to an article I wrote about Philadelphia Eagles fans. It was so cool that I didn't even mind that he referred to me as a guy. (Thanks, Seth Jayson, for clearing that up. That I'm not a guy. Because I'm not.)
To be clear, this is not me. This is. This is me in the jester hat (it was a bad hair day). And this is me after they airbrushed makeup onto my face. (I forgot to ask if they sell a home version of it.)
In tomorrow's daily roundup, I'll share all the "Dayana Yochim" hits from my Google "Answers" search.
Dayana Yochim's "Today When I Googled Myself" column appears daily on Fool.com and is available for syndication. You can find her entire body of work by Googling "Dayana Yochim." And "Dana Yochum." And "Dayanna Yoakam." Dayana is the Fool's consumer finance expert (during market upswings, that is).
