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A Tell Your Story Tuesday Worth Waiting For!

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Thanks for hanging around for Tell Your Story Tuesday, on Wednesday!

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say. Since we seem to have a lot of folks who are too shy to share words around here I thought I would give you a different challenge this week. Tell a story with a picture.  If you’re anything like me you’ve got a couple of pictures that tells the story of a trip, a place, a person or an event. As a matter of fact, here’s one of mine!

Two girls looking out the window at the beach.

My daughter's couldn't wait to hit the beach!

Now, I can’t claim to have thought this up all on my own. I found a website called Cowbird earlier this week. They encourage people to tell a story starting with an image. They’re kind of like a diary using pictures to help tell a story. I thought why not take a cue from them and see if we can’t get some people to tell us a story using a picture.

The regular Tuesday Rules remain:

The Ground Rules:

  1. Be nice! Constructive criticism is fine, but this is strictly a “No Troll Zone“
  2. Keep it clean! This site is for folks of all ages, anything not suitable for a PG audience will be removed (sorry, but my kids can read this blog and my 6 year old is a great reader – there are just some things I don’t need her sounding out!).
  3. Keep it fairly short! This isn’t the place to write the next great novel. Let’s see how short stories go before we move into long form writing.
  4. Nothing Copyrighted Please! Please make sure that you’re telling your own story and not someone else’s.
  5. No bashing other people/companies/political parties/ethnic groups/sexual orientation/career choices/physical appearance or ability/musical tastes! Again, this is a “Troll Free Zone” – leave the mean and nasty at the door. It’s one thing to have a funny encounter in a strange situation or a strange encounter in a funny situation. Using your story to insult others is another thing all together.
  6. I reserve the right! This is my blog and my face to the Internets, I reserve the right to change the rules, or remove content that break the rules. Sorry folks, but I’m sure that if you can find someone willing to let you post a story about a liberal Republican that walks with a limp and listens to Yani while sheep herding and why you hate them. I am not that someone, and this is not the place.

Look through your phone, check your folders and find a picture worth a thousand words!

Go ahead – tell me a story!

Tell Me a Story Tuesday CRASH!

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I finished this week’s storytelling challenge, only to have it eaten by WordPress and my phone. I’m going to try starting over from my laptop tomorrow. Since I need a little extra time for the post, I thought I would give you a little extra time getting ready.

A picture can speak a thousand words, so let an image tell your story. I’m looking for a photo that needs no explanation (or at least very few). Start going through your pictures now so you’re ready when I get the post up.

I can’t wait to see what you’re saying!

Miss Communication – Did You Really Just Tweet That?!?

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A family with the faces blacked out

Protecting your on-line image is a family affair.

It comes back around every few months. Someone is surprised that they got in trouble at work for tweeting something negative about the company. Or they posted on Facebook about how they called in sick to work to get drunk with their friends, forgetting that they “friended” their boss and are shocked that they lost their jobs. There are the students who get freaked out when the school or professor comments on a post.

But why? When you post something on the world-wide web there is a very good chance that someone in the world will see it. There really is no such thing as private on the internet. There are glitches and hacks all the time. Nothing you post anywhere is really private.

And it lives forever. Once you hit send the picture, joke or rant is out of your hands and out there for others to use and consume the way they see fit. Sure you can recall an email, but it doesn’t get it unseen. And if you don’t recall it fast enough it could be tucked away in a folder somewhere waiting for a chance to surprise you.

The ability to share thoughts and feelings as we have them is addicting. Having followers and friends who will listen and comment on life’s ups and downs provides a certain feeling of power. But what people forget is those thoughts and feelings don’t just go out to the people who follow you, they can go to anyone who’s looking for them. Those pictures from the weekend if Vegas with college friends are not going to stay in Vegas.

More and more people are getting haunted while looking for a job. Rachel Gogos discusses how social media can hurt your job hunt and keep you from landing the job of your dreams. What seems like a harmless tweet today could be found by a recruiter or hiring manager and keep you from being considered for a job. Put yourself in their place. Would you hire a woman for a teaching position when googling her name brings up pictures of keg stands and wardrobe malfunctions? Or a man for a diversity program who has a drunken rant against ethnic groups on YouTube?

And while there are companies that can excise your on-line demons, you can save some time and money by being smart. Don’t put pictures, videos, tweets or status updates or blog posts that can and will come back to bite you. I know, easier said than done. It’s harder today than it was when you only had to worry about your reputation for as long as someone had the photographs. You could only be embarrassed by them in front of the people someone was able to show them too. Today it takes seconds for your reputation to change.

The moral of the story is this, think before you send. Take a moment to pause before a picture gets taken or cameras start to roll or you send that post. Is this really what you want to be known for? Is this what you want people world-wide to know or think about you? Once that button gets clicked it’s too late to take it back.