Googling Your Own Name

Yesterday, a friend of mine went searching for my registry and found that there were other Brian Tobins on the internet. It seemed to surprise her and she felt as though my name wasn’t that common. I have always lived with the fact that was kind of common. There were 4 Tobins at Rutgers during my four years. Two were girls and the other two were named Brian.

Before the internet went even crazier in terms of scope and size, I used to sit and google my name. (If that makes me arrogant... then call me Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez.)

I used to see my name come up in the weirdest of locations and I learned a lot about who else has the name that I have.

Last night... I went through the process again...and oh boy did I find some fun stuff.

I located about 100 different Brian Tobins and I wanted to share with you the five I found the most interesting...myself excluded.

Brian Tobin of Canada

The majority of the websites that I came up with focused on this fella. I had first come across him when I was in Montreal in 1993. I picked up the Montreal newspaper and there was a headline that said something like: “President of the United States? Some Canadians think it is Brian Tobin.” That would get your attention I would think. It went on to say that they did a poll of Canadians about who the President was. 49% thought it was Bill Clinton, 49% thought it was George Bush and 2% thought it was Brian Tobin. The internet has brought me closer to this man. I feel as though I could be him.

The Lavin Agency describes him as follows – “One of Canada's best-known political figures, Brian Tobin shot to national and international fame in 1995, when, as Fisheries Minister, he forced the captain of a Spanish trawler to retreat beyond Newfoundland's fishing boundaries. Mr. Tobin's bravado, combined with his passion for Canada and colourful style, have made him one of the country's most popular speakers. After a four-year term as Premier of Newfoundland, Mr. Tobin returned to the federal arena in 1999. As Minister of Industry, he was instrumental in developing an innovation agenda for Canada and was one of the first Canadians to promote the idea that research and innovation are the keys to long-term success for Canadian business. Since leaving politics, Mr. Tobin has continued to contribute to the national agenda - through his recently published memoirs, All in Good Time, and a regular column in The Globe and Mail.” (Source: http://www.thelavinagency.com/canada/briantobin.html)

These other two sites aren’t as exciting but I did learn something about him. The press loves to quote him … a lot. Site #1 and Site #2

Brian Tobin of Tennis

The other most common Brian Tobin was this ex-tennis player. He was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 2003 and was quite the fella. The Tennis Hall of Fame website describes him as: “Born:December 5, 1930 in Perth, Australia Citizenship:Australia BIOGRAPHY Brian Tobin has devoted over forty-five years of his life to the game of tennis. He has been a member of Tennis Australia since 1964, serving as President from 1977 to 1989, overseeing the building and opening (1988) of the current stadium for the Australian Open. The stadium features a retractable roof, thereby eliminating match cancellations due to inclement weather. Tobin was involved with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for over 20 years, serving as its President from 1991-1999. Upon his retirement in 1999 he was designated its Lifetime Honorary President. Under his leadership, the ITF and its principal activities, including the worldwide operation of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and Olympic tennis, were greatly enhanced and developed. His business foresight and progressive thinking prepared the ITF to carry out its mission as a governing body, ensuring future growth of the organization.”

I am beginning to think I have a tremendous name.

2ND TIER BRIAN TOBINS

Brian Tobin of UMBC

This guy isn’t that exciting but he is a lacrosse player at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County. He is being groomed to be defensive mid-fielder. Eww…. Groomed. Anyway, his description shows his commitment to excellence and he is a tremendous player for his age. The Retrievers’ website describes him as “A mid-year transfer to UMBC from Virginia Wesleyan...a First Team Catholic Conference All-Star in 2000, 2001, and 2002...the 2000-01 Midfielder of the Year and the team captain for the Lancers...also a recipient of the Brother Kevin Kennedy Award as an Outstanding Student-Athlete...also lettered in track and field and football at Malden Catholic...a fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Celtics’ Paul Pierce...enjoys snowboarding...sister, Melissa, 21, is the captain of the women’s lacrosse team at Colby-Sawyer College…transferred to UMBC for “its commitment to winning”...born April 25, 1984.”

Oh crap. I am 11 years older than him.

Brian Tobin of briantobin.org

I jokingly found this site not to long ago and this guy just makes me embarrassed to have the same name. Just read his stuff. It will drive you batty. I thought I had issues.

www.briantobin.org

3RD TIER BRIAN TOBINS

I don’t know anything about this guy but he likes his photos.

CONCLUSION

It took me more than 12 Google pages before I finally appeared. That amazes me. It took a bunch of entries too for me to appear when I added the word Asphalt. That should prove that I don’t have an uncommon name.

Have a nice day and google yourself!