• Read Write Web, Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:15 AM

Google has become something of a de facto public record for people looking for other people. However, frustratingly, we have no control over what pops up when people search for us. Now, Google aims to change all that, with a new product released yesterday called Google Me. As Read Write Web's Marshall Kirkpatrick notes, Google Me comes with a price, but "not a monetary one." When searchers type in the word "me" in the search box, they will now be given the opportunity to set up their Google profile. When searchers type in a name that matches a Google profile, that profile will now be displayed at the bottom of the search results page.

"Google Profiles have a lot of potential as big, standardized online identities," says Kirkpatrick. "They are tied to online accounts on other Web sites and they contain lots of interesting information about people. There's a lot of potential for outside developers to build interesting things on top of these profiles...We're a little concerned, though, about yet another way that Google is going to gather more information about us as individuals."

Ever wanted to change the Google results for your name? You're not alone. Plenty of people would love to remove or edit information about themselves from the Google index. Google Me finally offers more control over what pops up when people search for your name. But control is something of an illusion, Kirkpatrick notes. 'You don't like how much we know about and tell other people about you? Well you can change that...by telling us more about you.' Sort of. Remember, profiles appear at the bottom of the search results page.

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