What’s on your Screensaver?

I was having a chat with a client yesterday and mentioned I’d recently won an Executive Portrait Package. I’d been planning to get a new photo done for sometime and now something was going to be done about it!

But she was concerned it might be one of those promotions that draw you in to spend lots of money and that the photos might not be exactly what I had intended. I was able to assure her all was well but then related a story of photos I’d had taken for my first anniversary (gift of paper) for my husband many years ago. They were glamour shots and whilst not pornographic and were very tasteful, they’re not the type of photos I would show everyone 😉

I related to my client how my husband so loved the photos that he scanned a couple of them and put them into his screensaver on his desktop computer – all very well until someone comes to my office to see me and then sees me as his pin-up girl on his computer! I asked him to take them back off again.

One day, back in 1997 I was working with the Meetings & Events industry and assisting with a large event at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. At that stage I didn’t own a laptop so borrowed my husband’s to use for the event. I’d prepared a PowerPoint presentation for that day. I set the whole thing up, tested it, then walked into another part of the hall to set up the nametags. When I came back into the presentation room there were a number of people there with their eyes fixated on the projector screen. You’ve guessed it! There I was, in a lovely piece of brief night attire up on this massive screen. I was so embarrassed! It is funny to talk about today but on that day, it certainly wasn’t! I couldn’t get over to the laptop quickly enough to switch off the screensaver and then profusely apologised to my clients – they seemed to be rather amused.

No, I’m not going to show you the picture! But I do hope that you learn from my lesson, and check what’s on the screensaver before you take it out of your home or office and use it elsewhere. The few minutes it takes to check it (or switch it off) could save you some major embarrassment! KMT

embarrassment, pin up girl, screensaver, meetings industry, virtual assistant