How to Manage Your Gay Online Reputation

You serendipitously meet someone on Manhunt. You give him your e-mail. You send him your number. You eventually meet. It goes well...at first. You tried to cloak behind some chat-handle like Hot4Leather or ButchBottom but in order to have an real quality of life you eventually need to let him know who "you" are. Can you trust him and the implications to your online reputation?

With the rise of social online networking sites like FaceBook, LinkedIn and blogging sites there's a general concern about online reputation management. Can someone do a simple Google search for you and find your MySpace account? Do you want pictures of you chugging beer bongs or sneaking around The Eagle linked to your name?

Reputation Management dispels the ugly. Unlike a negative rumor or an embarrassing entry in the police section of your local paper, bad publicity can sit on a search engine - ruining your reputation for years!

Let 2008 Go Out with a Bang

Hope you enjoyed your year. Why not start 2009 off the right way...

Quote of the Day

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance.
Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you
find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."

— Debbi Fields: Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies and author

Motivational Quote of the Day

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you;
you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
— James Allen: British philosophical writer

Be an Athletic Supporter

Pro Sport Athletic Supporter

What better way to teeter the fence between gay and straight than by enjoying sporting activities.

Quietly Let Them Know Your Gay

For once in your life you want to let a select few friends, colleagues or potential "playmates" know that you are gay.

You're aching for it! You're dying inside and just need to tell someone.

What do you do?

First off, be honest to yourself. Being gay isn't easy. We've all heard it: No one would choose to be a part of society that is not liked and in some camps even seen as vile and down right evil. However, there is a choice you need to make and it is the first step toward you slowly coming out: an admission to yourself that you are gay.

When those that are not so friendly toward gays talk about choice, this is the step they're really talking about. There is no real choice in being gay. If there was why would some of us at the ripe age of five being eying Tommy in kindergarten instead of Lisa?

Sure, you could hide it from yourself and others, go along and "choose" to marry a woman, never fully be satisfied, never truly satisfy your wife and potentially ruin a family. That's a road some choose and perhaps you have but you feel it's time to change.

How Can You Tell If Your Friend Is Gay?

You like someone but your not quite sure...is he gay? Maybe you don't want him to be or maybe you do. What are some major signs that your guy friend is gay?

• They love female singers: Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Christina Aguilera and Madonna are big gay icons. Does your guy have any of these singers in his iPod or CD collection?
• Fastidious about his appearance: While recent "metrosexuals" have blurred the line for knowing gays, a lot of gay men are finicky when it comes to clothing, their hair and body.
• He has copies of men's exercise magazines littered about. No, he doesn't just look at them for the workout routines.

• In order to hid his homosexuality, he has posters of beautiful women hanging on his walls, or buys a copy or two of Maxim to throw you off.

• And last but not least, he has a close buddy that if you haven't caught them with their pants down, they at least spend a lot of alone time together.

There you have it. A quick little list to see if you guy friend is gay. While not the end all to be all, it might just get you a little more knowledge.

Oh, and one more thing...you might just want to ask him.