I have google analytics on a website I run for a local organization. I was looking at the report today, and noticed something odd in the Top Traffic Sources area.

In the traffic sources area, I clicked on "google" - to have it show me what keywords were used that directed people to my site. Most of them were what I would expect - but twice, the keyword used was the specific name of one of our members.

when I googled her name myself, the organization's site is the first one to come up on google.

the reason I find this odd is because this same member raised concerns about PERSEC (personal security) in the spring because of google searches, and ever since, no full names have been posted on our site - we use a first name, last initial model. I actually did a full overhaul of the website over the summer, and all previous documents with names were deleted from our server completely and I went into google webmaster tools and requested the cached documents to be deleted as well.

Everything that has full member names is now in a password protected portion of the site - in fact, those password protected documents are the ONLY place her name appears on the site at all - her full name and even first name, last initial model are only in the passworded portion.

The site that comes up in google is also our current home page - not a cached version of an old page.

does anyone know why this might be? I have no idea where google may be pulling her name from, other than passworded documents - but the link that comes up isn't to any of those - just the home page. Her name's not in the meta data, or anywhere else - and since she had a problem with it I would like to do what i can to make sure that our site doesn't come up when her name is searched.

Any help would be appreciated!!

There is one other possibility, this could be her own doing. Google search rankings rely heavily on links into a site if she is on a forum, or networking site, etc. which has her name in the hyperlink to your site it will be indexed even if your site doesn't have any reference to her name at all!

Explaining this to technophobic illiterates is a little difficult so here is the aid I use:

Do a Google search for "Click here". The top Google ranked site is an Adobe software page to download Adobe's free Reader software. If you follow the URL and examine the site you will not find the word "here" or the search term "click here", in fact the closest thing you will find is the word "clicking" once.

Bottom line this something that she has managed to do all on here own and she needs to stop wasting your time. (I suggest using a little more political tact). Having a name on a website is not a privacy concern (unless of course the website is something like NAMBLA's!). Privacy is a serious concern but not form a site like yours, Financial, medical, and government databases connected to the internet with sensitive personal information are a concern but a good analogy for most websites is: everybody is in the phone book, if somebody is a hero their name is published in the paper; these are not invasions of privacy, and neither is publishing a name (or photo) on a website. Unless, you're also publishing SSN, Phone number, address, DOB, mother's maiden name, etc.

Hope that helps.

So in many countries it is illegal to photograph someone in public without their consent, but it's OK to post their photo on a website?

Of course one should always comply with all local rules and regulations. However, while my pretty face and name have been used on several occasions in newspaper and television. I can't ever recall them asking to do so.

Are you implying that I might have legal recourse? I'm skeptical.

I would agree that it would be very polite of me to ask to take a photograph before snapping away, but in the U.S. at any rate if a picture is taken from a public area (like a street, or park) it is considered legal. And it is also legal to reproduce, sell, and publish your photograph.

Recently, a group of photographers have come up with some ridiculous ideas about copyrights, and model releases. The problem is these have never stood upto legal scrutiny (i.e. no one has ever won litigation with them) in U.S. courts, and they seem designed to benefit larger, professional photographers and studios over the amateur.

If someone asks that their name or likeness be removed from a site the polite thing to do is to remove it, but unless your site is misleading, slanderous, or completely fictitious you don't have to, state side at any rate (it's that pesky 1st amendment thing). As a legal side note in the U.K. the rules I understand far less protective of free speech, so it is important to consult with legal counsel within your specific jurisdiction.

The site I run is a military spouse site (though we are not endorsed in any way by the gov't or military) - and when the request was originally made last spring, both the spouse's full name as well as the name and rank of the military member (MM) could be found in various parts of our website (i.e. a newsletter, with anniversary announcements, birth announcements, etc).

As we are located at a smaller base, the name/rank of the MM being connected to the spouse would make it easy to ID what unit they were affiliated with, and whether or not that unit was deployed. When dealing with deployments especially, military spouses are encouraged to be concerned about PERSEC and OPSEC - not to advertise that their MM is deployed, etc.

So the original concern is something that our organization does take seriously. I just want to make sure there's nothing else I can do to make sure that our site doesn't show up when specific names are google searched.

The first name, last initial has seemed to be a good compromise so far - that's why I was surprised when I saw her name had been searched specifically. I have no idea if she was searching herself again, but it's possible.

Please don't double post in different areas of the forum mandinkers. One place is enough, thanks

Never mind, either I'm seeing things psychically, because I know I read this basic post earlier, or someone already deleted it lol

That's what happens when you eat Turkey two days in a row

haha is that what it was? maybe it was nuclear turkey!

it must be the nuclear turkey, b/c i only posted it here