POSTING A PIC....GOOD IDEA OR BAD??

[mrtallguy]

I JUST POSTED A PIC ON THE FORUM HERE AND  NOW I AM HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS.   MOST OF THE MEMBERS HERE HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE "SCHOOL OF ANGELS" BUT THAT DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ALL THE "GUESTS" LOOKING FROM AFAR.   I AM SELF-EMPLOYED SO I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT LOSING MY JOB, BUT WANTED TO TO KNOW OF EXPERIENCES...BOTH GOOD AND BAD... THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO MY FELLOW FORUM FRIENDS WHO HAVE POSTED THEIR PIC.  YOUR THOUGHTS?

BE WELL...

CRAIG

[Life]

Craig, you look Marvelous....   I think the onlookers would say the same...

[GSOgymrat]

My picture posting started because I created a web page about my experience with lipoatrophy and PMMA treatment. I really wasn't sure whether creating the page and posting a link on here was a good idea, especially since it included butt shots. Creating the page led to an interview about lipo with The Body, a HIV site, which also posted my photo. So now that my face, and butt, are out there and associated with not only HIV but lipoatrophy posting a regular picture on here seems relatively harmless. This may all come back to bite me in the ass but I've received lots of emails from people around the world thanking me for posting my web page.

I actually had a bit of a panic moment over this last month. I was at an office party and someone brought up Googling people's names. If you Google my name The Body interview, which tells basically my HIV story, is the first thing on the list. Fortunately my name didn't get Googled but I was worried that I was about to announce to all my coworkers that I was HIV+ and suffering from lipo. Talk about bringing the party to a crashing halt. If it comes out I'll just deal with it but I'd rather not share my medical history with my coworkers.

I'm using the gymrat avatar just because I think it's cool.

[dtwpuck]

Hi Craig....  well you probably know my take on this since we live in the same city.  I post my status along side my pic all the time all over the place.  Anyone I work with, or any of my clients with enough interest could easily find out that I am HIV positive, gay, or several other things that might cause no end to their consternation.    (in fact, it makes me deeply happy to think of some of my bible thumpin clients paying me as much as they do to keep their businesses running when they also think I am probably going straight to hell.   Oh yes, deeply happy.)   At any rate, anonymity is safe.  Safe is fine, but you don't learn anything that way.

Besides, you're handsome as hell.  Show it off my friend.

[Razorbill]

I've posted a few - but ususally remove them after the thread is dead.  Just paranoia, no real reason I suppose.

[mrtallguy]

THANKS GUYS!!  

As usual the support on this site has been a big part of a transformation for me as I start 2007.

ERIC....We are both riding horses...my original pic gobbled up too much memory and would not post so I had to shrink it down....also did not think posting my nephew's face would be a good idea either! By the way... a rocky mountain "cowboy" always gets my attention...WOOF back atcha!

FORD....the rat is a classic!  Any time I need to see ur fine lines I click on your postings until I find ur pics!

PUCK....Great words of wisdom (as expected) in that "nuthin ventured, nuthin gained".  We don't expand on our life experience by shrinking away from it!   And thanks for the compliment....could we say "birds of a feather flock together"??  another way to say that would be "Your tats ROCK" !!

Be well...

Craig

[koi1]

I think I would be fine about posting a pic, were it not for the fact that I am an elementary school teacher and it would not be wise.

rob

[Life]

Craig, when you get more comfotable, get a "picture squisher"  I just use microsoft picture manager.   Love them horses, they are fiesty and unpredictable just like my AM friends..  Perfect fit..   Sorta fun walking on the wildside aint it??  Figure I am at least putting myself out there is some way as far as being pos...  If someone where to just point blank ask me, erm, ah, "well yeah".   Might come out..  Not sure..

Love,

[Miss Philicia]

I don't like posting identifiable stuff on the internet, no offense to anyone here.  I had a link in my profile for a while to my personal web site which consists of travel photos, and there were several of me in amongst those but I've since taken the link down.  I do this for several reason, none of which is connected with being identified with HIV as everyone that knows me in meat life ("real life" for the cyber n00bs here) knows my medical condition.  When I first got on the internet in the mid-90's I posted something somewhere and once search engines like google came on line (yes, I was on line before Google) I'd google my name and didn't like finding myself, so I've always implemented a cloaking device like the Klingons.  I was also cyber stalked my an insane homosexual in the 90's and that wasn't very pleasant either.  I feared for my life...

ps:  when you type Klingons and use spell check on a Mac it tries to replace the word with "Clintons"!

[Life]

Philly, I can see why....

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[Miss Philicia]

omg... it's a right wing conspiracy

[Life]

I tried to see if I could google me....  Nothing but this guy! Jeeeezzzz....

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[mrtallguy]

A cowboy with a sense of humor....even better!

I googled my name and I'm lucky that there is an actor with the same name so he gets all the attention!
However I did google my screen name and that brings up all my postings here!
So now I will NOT co-mingle my screen name and full real name....will stick to first name only.

Be Well...

Craig

[Miss Philicia]

A decade ago there was only me when I google my name, as my last name is rather odd and others with it are rather small.  However, by being careful these days I can't locate myself and I find a few others with my name, as more people are on line now.

Whew!  I don't like knowing that I'm that accessible.  I'm even careful in dispensing my cell phone number and email.  I should join the CIA.

[DingoBoi]

I work in a rather large orlando company, anywhere from 1200 to 1800 people during the year. 

Since posting my picture and blog, I've had someone come up to me at work who was dealing with her own STD and I've had one of my closer friends from Pennsylvania email me because she found my blog.

I knew both were potential risks and I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of people, other than strangers, knowing information about me, but I haven't had anything negative either because of either experience.

I took my picture down from the forums recently, but not because of that.  I just don't have a newer picture I like better.

The net is a small world after all.