Just google it.

Q: What's the capital of Oregon?
How many inches are in a mile?
Is Duke part of the ACC?
Is Buffalo Wild Wings open until 2 in the morning?

A: Just google it!

I love the English language. I love how Google, a popular search engine, can be changed from a noun to a verb. I love "googling" obscure facts and whipping out my new Blackberry to quickly put out the fires of a fierce living room debate over the population of Tulsa vs. Oklahoma City.

These are all great things to google, but have you ever googled yourself? You might want to make sure your presence on the web is clean, powerful and positive. Of course, if your name is John Smith, that might be a little hard to control. My name is a little more unique than that, so I can find articles I've written, awards I've won, my contact information and even a couple photos of myself.

I googled myself today, and it was neat to go back and read old articles I've written and compare myself to the other Emily Kilian's of the world. One Emily Kilian is in a symphony. Another graduated from kindergarten last year.

Employers often google you or try to find you on a social network like Facebook or MySpace. Sometimes Facebook/MySpace profiles even come up in a Google search. My little sister created a profile on WAYN (Where Are You Now) in 2005. It still pops up when you google her name, and she hasn't even logged into her WAYN account for three years.

Again, I can't stress the importance of creating a positive image of yourself, even on the web. Having clean fingernails and good shoes may not be enough if Google finds something unsatisfying about you. It's a whole new world, Preppie. Get used to it.