You've Googled yourself, right? We've previously written about that topic here, along with the importance of being aware of what the Internet says about you. I've said it before, but if you're an entrepreneur seeking funding, expect that VCs, angels, or other investors are going to check up on you. One of the easiest ways for them to do that is an Internet search—and we're not just talking about Google. Potential investors, nosy relatives, and anyone else who may want to get some dirt on you are now searching the "deep web"—'net content that hasn't been indexed by search engines. These searches can turn up info like social networking profiles, public records, prior addresses, and other info a potential investor, lender, or business partner may want to know.

The New York Times' career blog writes today about Pipl.com, one such site snoopers can use to turn up information on you in the deep web.

Try searching yourself and see what you come up with. Aside from the obvious annoyance of having your boss find some untoward info about you, these searches present another major problem—if you share a name with someone, their Internet dirt may turn up among yours. While it likely won't come up in an investor meeting, you may want to be prepared to explain that it was not you, but your doppelganger who served a few years in the state pen.

On the flip side, if a search for your name turns up some not-so-nice stuff that you actually did, you can do something about it. Via Valleywag, check out this guide to owning yourself online.