[CamperBob]

As an employer, I reserve the right to use any public data obtained from web/Usenet searches to understand where a candidate is coming from in his/her professional life. It's basic due diligence, whether legal or ethical or not, and I expect prospective co-workers to do the same to me. Moral: don't be a dick or a moron online, at least not in connection with your real name.

That said, the real peril is that of mistaken identity. I almost missed out on a (mostly) enjoyable 2+ year relationship because my Google search revealed that the woman I was chatting with was an activist for various evangelical Christian causes. Fortunately, before breaking contact with her, I asked her about it, and soon realized that Google was leading me astray.