I got a rather interesting email the other day:
Hello,
I just watched your C-Span interview and then googled and read your review of Obama’s two books in the Standard. Do I hear the sound of a competitive grinding ax? Perhaps his elegant and thoughtful prose is driving your negativity…
The email continues on about Obama’s book. My first instinct was spam, but that didn’t quite sit well with me. The email was too well written and didn’t seem like spam (believe me, I know my spam). And then it clicked, this email was for the other Andrew Ferguson.
In my fight to become the highest ranking on Google, I surpassed several comrades also conveniently named Andrew Ferguson, including…
- …the author of a program called ClipSecure: a “simple, secure, freeware email text encryption” program that hasn’t been updated since February 2004.
- …the aforementioned writer who is the “senior editor of The Weekly Standard and a columnist for Bloomberg News.”
- …Princeton University student (site also not updated since circa February 2004).
Once I had pieced it all together, it made perfect sense. I replied:
Mr. ______,
I fear that you have mistaken me for someone else. I assume that you Googled “Andrew Ferguson” and my site, AndrewFerguson.net, came up as the first link. I am not the Andrew Ferguson you are looking for. I believe the Andrew Ferguson you are looking is the senior editor at the Weekly Standard and is a columnist for Bloomberg News. I hate to disappoint you, but I am not that person. I’m a college student studying Electrical Engineering.
Best Regards,
The other Andrew Ferguson
Case closed.
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