Social Hibernation and Reverse SEO

Letting Microsoft get involved with Facebook is kind of like inviting a divorce lawyer with a crystal meth problem to your honeymoon.

But that's exactly what's happened, with news that Billy Boy Bowl-Head's empire has bought a minority stake in the social networking company for about $240 million.

Users of Facebook - and I count myself as one of them - will testify that it offers a vastly superior user experience over its clunky, slow, Murdoch-owned rival. But it's that thought alone that makes anyone who knows how to use a mouse slightly concerned that they've hopped into bed with a company that's renowned for buggy, non-sensical, dull and generally difficult to use products.

But the good news for common bystanders like you and I is that we can sit back and watch the inevitable social networking backlash unfold.

Here's how it goes. I was chatting with my boss last week about the concept of "Reverse SEO". This idea sprang to mind during a conversation we had at dinner about how many relevant search results are returned when you Google your own name.

A couple of people at the table mentioned they'd unearthed random photographs of themselves taken years ago, that had obviously been tagged with their names. Others reported articles and other obscure  references that appeared in Google's results.

Since search engine crawl everywhere and everything, we discussed ways of actually stopping your name  from getting out on the Internet. The obvious way is not to post anything online, but that doesn't stop other people from tagging something that identifies you.

So what's the answer? Well, our slightly drink-addled solution was Reverse SEO. Creating a privacy mechanism for people that effectively allows them to remove any trace of their names or identity from search engines. From ex-wives trying to avoid ex-husbands to people who get slightly weirded out that the office IT help desk person posted a picture of them on a blog in Bavarian milkmaid outfit, Reverse SEO would be a great solution.

Now take that idea to the next step. As more and more people join social networking sites and as the technology starts to mature, users might not realize exactly how many footprints they're leaving all over cyberspace. From personal photographs, to bookmarks, to videos, to blog comments - the intricate ties that social networks weave mean we're exposing more of ourselves to the world than ever before.

So what happens next? Maybe social networking is replaced with social hibernation. Perhaps a new movement develops that advocates withdrawing from online life and becoming a cyber-hermit.

Well, maybe.

Don't miss next week's post when I attempt to justify why my previous predictions of backlashes against reality TV/Wal Mart/Starbucks/Cell Phones/SUVs have yet to materialize.