Saturday, January 07, 2006

Not A Legacy To Stand On

I don't want to lose my name because that's how I know myself. There is a legacy here. - Moon Zappa


I'm hesitant to even write these words, knowing they will open the door to a flurry of activity but I have to...it's the only way.

McGriddle Recipe.

There, I've said it...well, actually I typed it.

The McGriddle recipe thing is a long story, but back in 2003, I posted something about McGriddles and suddenly started getting hits from all over. It was the number one search term that led people to this blog. For the record, I've still never eaten a McGriddle.

In any case, I also became the number one site listed by Google if you type in McGriddle recipe. That is no longer the case. I have been dethroned. In fact I don't think I'm even among the top 10 or 20 any more. I'm okay with it.

I mention that because it's always a little odd to find what terms do bring people here. Last month, 60 percent of the folks who arrived at my blog via a search engine typed in the term "Daniel fast." Two years ago, I went on a modified version of that fast and I still get regular emails from people who assume I am some expert. I'm no expert, I did a search for Daniel Fast on the internet and I wrote about what I found there, and I think I actually put the information on a page on my website somewhere, but I'm not certain. People still write and I try to be polite and answer their questions.

The other day I got an email from a doctor. I don't know if he's a medical doctor, that's not what was important. He had a much more urgent matter to discuss: "pillow spinning." Seriously, he wanted to tell me that he "too" is a pillow spinner!

I'm not kidding. Here's the bulk of his email:

Hey,
I saw your thing about pillow spinning! I spin pillows on my foot! I even have a video!
Regards,


I didn't ask for a copy of the video.

That all started because for years at our church's annual talent contest I have spun pillows. Yeah...it's exciting stuff.

So I did a Google search for "pillow spinning"

Doh!

That got me thinking about what other obscure things or behaviors I have mentioned which might get me in the top 2 or 3 listings in Google. Hmm...well there was that time in December of 2003 when I mentioned that I have another pseudo-talent...I can blow bubbles off my tongue. Surely that wouldn't make it onto Google right?

Wrong.

Suddenly I'm getting this vision of the world in like 2000 years. Archaeologists are combing through the remnants of a long dead technology called the "Internet" trying to piece together an image of what people were like back in 2006. Daniel Fast...Pillow Spinnning...Bubble blowing...McGriddle eater.

My digital legacy...it's not going be pretty.