So, you've seen the spams, right?

Yours truly added [link|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html|his resume] to his sig line a ways back. I, um, send a lot of email. Much of it to, um, widely accessed and archived groups. A friend of mine informed me that [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=sas+consulting+sacramento|I was famous] -- he'd looked for "SAS consulting Sacramento", and at the time I was the fourth hit.

So I tried a few other searches:

• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=sas+consulting+san+francisco&btnG=Google+Search|SAS consulting san francisco]
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=sas+consulting|SAS consulting] hmm...that wasn't as successful, how about
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+sas|resume sas] <grin>
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+linux&btnG=Google+Search|resume linux]...not bad.
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+debian&btnG=Google+Search|resume debian]. Awesome!
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+snobbian&btnG=Google+Search|resume snobbian] (sorry Addison). Well, actually, what's going to happen is I'll be the one and only hit for this the next time Google spiders this site ;-)
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+gestalt&btnG=Google+Search|resume gestalt] For what it's worth.
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+menlo+park&btnG=Google+Search|resume menlo park] Pretty good.
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+unix&start=10&sa=N|resume unix] 2nd page, OK.
  
• [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=resume+network+administration&btnG=Google+Search|resume network administration]

My suggestion: if you're in the market for a job, this is a good, cheap, effective, targeted way to get your resume out there. I've been starting to get the calls for SAS work over the past several weeks (trying to get an interview lined up, trying not to jinx it by saying where/when). I have a strong suspicion that I'll be taking recruiter calls for quite the period after I get placement, when things heat up.

Thought I'd share the tip.

[Edit: spelling fix]

I'm placing it in a form that may be useful to me professionally.

There's an old Ashleigh Brilliant quip: Success, for some people, depends on becoming well-known; for others it depends on never being found out. Many people I know post their resume online -- it's a good way to keep your information out there and circulating. If your employment status changes, you don't have to defend yourself "yeah, I always keep it posted".

As for personality theft and the like: it's possible. The possibility speaks more to the weaknesses and shortcomings of fiancial and transactional systems, IMO. And [link|http://phone.people.yahoo.com/py/psPhoneSearch.py?FirstName=norman&LastName=king&City=&State=mo|availability of this information] is [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=%22norman+king%22+%22st+louis%22&btnG=Google+Search|far higher than you'd think] -- name, address, and phone number are in any number of places (incidentally, I've requested removal from most such discretionary databases). The ability to purchase the information by the tens of thousands to tens of millions is within the reachy of far too many organizations.

By posting the data myself, I've got a modicum of control over what's available. Could be that I'll strip the street address or post a PO Box. But phone and email are pretty useful.

Your employer was out of line IMO. That's well trodden ground.