How my parents made me famous 41 years ago
41 years ago Google didn't exist. But something incredible did happen that year (1970 to be exact). Sure, I'd like to say the incredible thing is that I was born but that wouldn't exactly be true.
You see, the incredible thing happened shortly after I was born. I'm talking about the moment my parents gave me my name.
Those of you who know me well know there is no "k" on the end of my first name. It's Patric, not Patrick. To this day, I still pass along my father's joke that he couldn't afford the extra letter back then.
So how did the name Patric make me famous 41 years later? Easy. Do a simple Google search for "Patrick Welch" (with the k). You'll quickly find Patrick Welch, the English painter, illustrator, cartoonist and art professor from Chicago. And Patrick Welch, the interior designer from Orange County. And even Patrick Welch, the realtor from Los Gatos, California.
Now, do a Google search for "Patric Welch" (without the k). See any difference? 9 out of 10 of the search results on the first page are all me (I swear I never worked for the Sussex Police Authority). Go to the second page of results. 9 out of 10 again. And a solid 10 out of 10 on the third page.
This is all due to the unique spelling of my name. That coupled with the fact that I love putting myself out on the Internet.
So thank you mom and dad. I am eternally grateful for your insight 41 years ago.
1 comment for this blog post so far...
October 04, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Tia Nielsen
See? Just one more way to discover, as many of us do. that parents were wiser than we thought. in our youth. They may have wondered themselves in those days, but now they know.
And so do we.
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