On the subject of "Sexting" and "how people see you."

Early morning... dirty... caught in the act... Yes, this is the closest you will ever get to a racy shot of me.

This morning, I was introduced to the new trend of the internet and cell phones. Sexting. It's when people exchange racy pictures of themselves via their cell phones or posting on the internet. I am sure Twitter has something to do with this too.

Technology has brought us so many wonderful things, so is this the next?

Apparently Sexting has become such a big topic, that it was the lead story on CBS Sunday Morning (a show I never miss by the way.) The story was about teens and their ability to get into trouble over this. One guy forwarded nude pictures of his old girl friend (age 17) around to his friends. Problem was, he was now 18, which made him a peddler of child pornography. The local DA put him on the sex offender list, after threatening him with 76 counts of distributing child pornography, and a life sentence. The guy is now ruined.

One girl, who was 12, took a picture of her and her friend on the phone. The picture showed the two in what looked to me to be sports bras, but described as training bras. The local District Attorney brought the girl up on child pornography charges, saying that she was posing provocatively. For those of you who did not see the story, I will repeat the pose here.

Oooh. racy. I am going to be getting calls from around the country asking for more I am sure. Sorry if you are reading this in the morning, and I have just made you choke up a little bit over breakfast. Perils of the trade I guess.

My point is this. The way you are perceived online or by what you send out over the internet is your new perception. Did I worry about this picture being sent to my bosses? Well no, because I know my boss. The fact is, if you are worried about how you will be perceived, worry about your online image, sexy or not.

Case in point. I had a dear friend who was fired from her job this week. She posted comments and notes on Facebook about what "they said." She sounded bitter, but was quick to say she did not want her job back.

I quickly wrote her and told her that I thought while Facebook is a wonderful way to get things off her chest, that it could also be her downfall for any future employment. I wrote, in part:

"You see, any potential employer who is savvy now figures out a way to check out your online presence even more than they check out your resume and sometimes even references. The reason is that your history of when you let your hair down... your unfiltered personality is there for all to see...

So if a future employer was to go on there right now... the first words he would see associated with you are "bitch" and "not a team player." Not because someone said that about you... but because you said that about you. Think about it... those words were not posted by someone else... they were posted by you."

Just a few minutes after sending this, I saw where she had taken down the references to the past and delightfully announced she was moving on to better things. I was happy for her.

The comments I write here and on Facebook are written for all to see. I will admit, I have some privacy filters on my Facebooks as somethings are just for my friends, but even things posted there could be seen or read by anyone without reservation.

It's interesting as less than a year ago, I was called to the carpet by a client for posting a picture of myself with a college gymnastics team. The photo, taken by one of the coaches, showed me on my computer in front of the team in their pre meet attire (which is basically one piece swim suits) in the poses that they had used in the media guide. The comment I made on the picture was, quoting, "now, this is how a television producer gets inspiration."

The comment was made because I had used each of those poses as the basis for the look for the year. Cameos of each of those poses were made into animated dancing objects and created a cool open for the team's video show. The exact poses, in their competition leotards, were seen in the media guide, and on their video headshots.

The comment, however, apparently created some double entendre for some readers and I was asked to remove that picture from my Facebook page, and oh, and any other picture of a student athlete from my page.

It was a dark day in my life, as someone perceived my thoughts as something other than it was intended. You see, the perceptions that others have of you online can trump the real meaning.

I put this to the test last night when I posted this status update:
"Jon Horton has taken his 10 year old son to a bar for a soccer pregame party. I guess I am starting him early."

The comments started to roll in. "Tsk Tsk," from someone who is a teacher. :<0 href="http://sambaysabor.com/pitt.aspx">You can see what I am talking about here.)

My thought was to be funny... but calculated funny. Heck, my choice of shoes earlier in the week brought in five times the comments, but people know about my affinity for loud shoes!

So next status update, make sure you say what you are wanting to say, or at least explain it quickly, and you will find life a lot easier.

Just a little advice for you still lost in cyberspace from

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger