I was reading Joyce, of Hot Flashbacks Cool Insights, this morning. She has a very funny new post about Blog statistics and Googling her name. It reminded me of my own experience.
About four years ago I received an email from someone who like my poem, except their description was of a poem I'd never written! Puzzled and curious I did a Google search for the poem and discovered another poet, on the other side of the world, with the same name as me. This Michelle had an email, so I forwarded her fan email on to her. It led to us exchanging life stories. We even posted postcards to each other - for the sheer fun of writing "To Michelle Frost" - "From Michelle Frost" on the back. :-D
Back then we Googled our name and discovered there were loads of us out there. We both rather liked the fact there were so many of us. It's a bit like an instant sisterhood. We even joked about sending out invites one day and having a grand gathering ... where everyone would be wearing the same name tag! We discovered that we (Michelle Frosts)... owned an art gallery, played professional golf, worked as a doctor and did interior decorating.
Today I went back for another quick Google search and found a whole bunch more of, equally quirky and interesting, us. And I do mean a "whole bunch" - there are about 200 Michelle Frosts on Facebook alone! The down side is realising we really are not at all unique, name wise. The plus side has been discovering that we are, all of us, very interesting people...
I see nowadays we are doing amazing pottery in Canada, quilts in Australia, craft work in England, researching osteoporosis in the UK and practising law in North America. We do sport and games as well as Arts and crafts. We teach, we act, and we are writing books, blogs, poems and articles all over the place. We've even gained a Guinness World Record for completing a marathon on stilts!
Michelle Frost the stilt walker is attempting the London Marathon this year, on April 26. She needs sponsors (she's raising money for the UK charity REACH) and you can add a donation by clicking the link here ...got to help support my own namesakes. ;-)
On that note I've set myself a challenge of sorts. I'm contacting a few of us out there and I'm going to see if any reply. If they do, and are willing, I'll add their replies (and web links) to future posts. :-)
......
That sounds like a lot of fun. Good luck to you and all the others out there.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm delighted to know I got you going again on Googling "yourself." My friend Debbie has started her own group on Facebook with people who share her first and last name! The same nametag image cracked me up! You must have a pic of that in your post following the First International Michelle Frost Convention. Keep me posted on how this connection-fest goes. Goog-on!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle Frost,
ReplyDeleteGot your message and yes, you've found another Michelle Frost!
Oh, fun project!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of a day when my mother and aunt once went out "Bill" collecting. Their goal that day was to go all over the city and collect as many "Bills" as they could. I think they even took photos.
ReplyDeleteI've yet to meet another "genie." My maiden name was Gidge, NEVER met or communicated with a Gidge I wasn't related to.
I'm surprised there are so many Michelle Frosts out there. I didn't know there were that many Frosts!
Too cool. And the luck in meeting a kindred spirit in another MF!
Hi Derik
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly been fascinating.
Joyce
Thanks for the ideas. I'll keep you posted on my Frosty adventures. :-)
Hey! My first Michelle. :-)
I love your craft stuff, it's so happy and fun. Can I put up a link to your blog (or your choice) here?
Genie
I love your mom and aunt's idea. That's my kind of whacky humour. :-D You could post that as a photo challenge - go photograph Bills... or Bobs. LOL
I must admit you're the only Genie I know. It's a pretty name.
Best I could do is collect van der Merwe's. On the other hand, that would be impossible. Can you imagine? No one with my name. I love your idea of getting in touch with them all! What a thing to discover *tries to imagine you on stilts running across London*
ReplyDeleteYeah but you are the only Michelle Frost I have featured in my latest blog post!
ReplyDeleteMi Michelle, Happy to have a link to my blog - I will link back and maybe one day we can have a Michelle Frost webring! Find me and my thought(s) at
ReplyDeletewww.stampinground.wordpress.com/
Cliff said that you have a good blog and again he is right! I hope that you have a great day!
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of surreal seeing a Michelle Frost posting a comment to you here. I had to look twice and ponder a little ;)
ReplyDeleteHey Tint,
ReplyDeleteyou could have the van der Merwe not a joke ring. ;-)
Clint
Thank you for the lovely write up about me and my blogs. :-)
Michelle Frost
(lol feels surreal, talking to "yourself", doesn't it?)
Thanks for the link, I'll add it today.
Mike
Thank you. I hope to drop by and check out your blog as well. :-)
Back to say WOW WOW... a dulcimer? I have bad eyesight, I thought your profile pic was a coffee table. (ROFL) a DULCIMER! :-D I heard dulcimer music for the first time off an ancient library record in the 80s and was hooked. It's such an amazing sound, being a drone instrument and yet also strings. How wonderful to actually own or play one yourself.
Tint
Very surreal, especially when my email response sent me a reply from... me? I sat here blinking for a few moments. LOL
INTERESTING!!! I've never googled my name too much...maybe I should he he...:-D GREAT idea!!! THANKS for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow cool! I have a pretty unusual last name so not too many out there sharing it. This is fun though. :D
ReplyDelete