RSSWhat We Can Learn From the “Balloon Boy”
Last week, millions of people across the U.S. and Canada were glued to the television watching a silver, flying saucer-shaped balloon sail through the Colorado skies, praying that the little boy inside could be rescued safely. Assuming, of course, that he actually WAS in the balloon like his family said.
While Wolf Blitzer was interviewing balloon experts and the family’s neighbours, the internet was a flurry of Tweets, Facebook Status updates, and blog posts wishing the boy, 6 year-old Falcon Heene, good luck and a safe return home. What struck me, however, was the number of posts about the child’s father, and how eccentric he was.
Many linked to articles about the family’s appearance on Wife Swap, others chose to focus on his “life on Mars” discovery and UFO hunting, while others noted that the family had an obvious, self-publicizing, YouTube presence (note - Since the incident most Heene family YouTube clips have been “removed by user”). Any article referencing Richard Heene indicated that he was a borderline mad scientist who loved any attention he could get. His MySpace page also gave off that impression (it has also since been removed).
Even before the balloon landed, I knew more about this family, and specifically their crazy father, than you’d think was possible. But what I had learned about him was nothing flattering; quite the opposite in fact. Aside from the quirks, many indications were that he was an absolute loud-mouth jerk. To be fair, his neighbour was interviewed on CNN and said he was a great guy… just “different.” Then again, his Wife-Swap appearances were already famous on the Internet for his temper, childish antics, and over the top reactions.
Long story short… I was pretty sure it was all a hoax before the balloon hit the ground. Why? Because the Internet was FILLED with information on how unbalanced this guy is. It seemed very obvious that he would be the kind of guy who would pull this kind of stunt. And sure enough I was right.
Balloon Boy Sr. was drumming up media attention so somebody might bite at their pitch for a reality show based on their family. All the hints were there… although having Balloon Boy himself out the conspiracy on national TV didn’t help me buy it either.
So what can we learn from this? Take a look at your own internet presence. What does it say about you? Spend an hour trying to find yourself in Google. Are the results accurate? Are they the messages you want to send? We’ve heard stories of criminals getting caught because of their Internet presence, and while we’d like to think we’re much smarter than that, it’s worth checking out how you might be sabotaging your own missions by what you leave lying around out there.
Takes some time and check out how you’re represented. Maybe spend a day tidying up your profiles on various websites. Take down some of the “less professional” photos that may be lingering on Facebook or those inane blog posts from a moodier time. If your name is on it, people will find it. If they do, make sure it tells them what you want it to.
Otherwise, you’re taking your chances… like a 6 year-old adrift in a homemade foil weather balloon flying saucer. (You can’t make this stuff up… oh wait… I guess you can.)
