A Google search for “Chuck Norris” turns up a result stating that “Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows that you don’t find Chuck Norris; Chuck Norris finds you”. For those of us who are not Chuck Norris, however, anyone from potential employers to love interests may use the search engine to find what they may about us. The online phenomenon is causing many people to wonder if it is possible to remove your name from Google completely.

Unfortunately, once information is sent into cyberspace, it is like a bad tattoo; remove name from google completely. The good news is, however, that there are ways to improve your online image. If you search for your own name on Google and find some unsightly information, you can contact the host of the website that is sharing the data and ask them kindly (or not so kindly, if the situation calls for it) to remove it. The contact information for any website can be retrieved from a Whois database, which keeps track of domain names and can be searched using websites such as www.domaintools.com. Another option is to intentionally flood the web with positive, intentional information about yourself. Websites such as Netfame.com are specifically designed to help people and companies advertise their positive attributes online.

The bottom line is that you cannot remove your name from Google completely, but you can improve your online standing with help from, ironically, websites that you can find on Google.