Own Your Name: Thoughts on Online Presence

My name is incredibly meaningful to me. My full first name, Yaron, has historical roots in my family, and my father, who grew up in post–World War II communist Romania, was not born with the last name Raducanu. His father had held a high-ranking position in Romania’s communist government and was encouraged to change our family name. He agreed, and changed our family name from Rabinovici, to Raducanu, a much more common Romanian surname. Many years ago, my older brother changed his last name, but I kept Raducanu. I am the first generation Raducanu in our family and my kids are the first Raducanus in our family to be born in the US.

It is for this reason that I take advertising my name very seriously. In today’s digital age, it’s not so easy to keep track of how your name is being used, however. The first order of business is to search yourself on the Internet and see what comes up. I’ve practiced in various states, and in various practices, and some of my own searches still have me practicing in Virginia Beach, which I left in 2011.

It’s one thing when an employer continues to advertise your name on their business after you’ve left, which is illegal in some states. It is entirely another when a website has you working somewhere you left over a decade ago—and therein lies the problem. In my experience, it is extremely difficult to track these things, and sometimes even more difficult to correct them. When I tried to discuss this with a search engine’s customer service, they did admit that sometimes they don’t even know where the information they post comes from.

One place that your information can come from is the office manager of a practice, posting your information on a corporate account. That can become a problem down the road, mostly, I find, if they forget they posted your information there. If so there is little to no way for you to alter it, whether it be your credentials, or your actual place of practice (ie, a new practice or a new office). And, since they were the ones who initiated the post, you typically can’t alter it without knowing the login information for that site. You can see how this can be quite tedious.

Even with some of the pay-to-advertise sites, things can get complicated. There are sites that you can register for, and pay not only to advertise for you, but to help you schedule your patients through their online portals. This is quite innovative and I feel it can be advantageous, if you have the funds to support it. One of the things I really like about a select few of those sites is that only patients who have seen you in the office can review you on the site. Other review sites have no way that I can see to assure that the people they accept reviews from are actual individuals and even more importantly, people who have been in your office as your patient. The issue with many of these platforms is that if your employer set you up there, they also have to be the one that takes your information down. If you try to do it without them, you may end up spending hours on the site’s sales pitch and trying to find someone that can help you complete the task. Then it can take weeks for the process to carry itself out. 

Ultimately, it is up to you to make sure that any information about you online is accurate. It is well worth the time spent to assure this. Sometimes, it does feel like you’re running uphill, but, to me, my name is my reputation. And some people will want to use it for their benefit, with no regard for the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build. Don’t let them. Also, by working hard to make sure your online information is accurate, you make sure that anyone looking to be your patient will find the information needed to make that happen.  

Dr. Raducanu is a Diplomate of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and Fellow of the American Society of Podiatric Surgeons. He practices in Galloway, NJ.

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