Don't forget to subscribe to iwebis RSS feed. You can also Subscribe to iwebis by Email Thanks for visiting!
I have some definite views about the choosing photo’s that is to be used for networking. I am of the belief that using a photo of a person is better than text and I will tell you why. Have you ever seen the guy standing at an intersection with a sign that says “Furniture Sale”, or “New Homes for Sale”, or “Will Work For Food”. Yeah, that guy. Have you ever not looked at that guy and wondered what he is doing? The reason why you can’t help but look at that guy is because people are social beings and are attracted to other people, even the guy standing on the corner of 5th and Western (or where ever your guy stands).
I have noticed that most of the time when I am looking at MyBlogLog or BlogCatalog pictures the only ones I am interested in clicking on are of people not text logos. The idea behind social networking is that people are networking with each other, not billboard signs. So if people are interested in networking with other people then a picture of a person is a better choice in my opinion.
Those of you who are uncomfortable with using a photo of yourself do have some other options. Some people like to use cartoon figures or photo’s of celebrities. Though a cartoon doesn’t attract my eye like a real human being, it’s still better then a text logo. I have also seen people use photo’s of their pets and body parts, like feet. These types of photo’s don’t usually attract my eye enough to want to click on them but are sometimes amusing. And in case you are wondering I will delete any offensive photos/avatars.
So if your goal is for someone to be interested in your photo/avatar enough to click on it, then it might just be a good idea to use a photo of a human being. As I have said before it’s really hard not to look at that “guy” on the corner street and wonder what he is doing.
Visit my Time To Budget blog if you are sick of being in debt.
Good advice about choosing an avatar/photo!
I think you are right … your photo needs to be personal, and if your goal is to get other people to click on your photo, it needs to stand out.
I do not click on people’s photos when they are offensive, or obviously suggestive.
very interesting. never thought of it like that. maybe i should post a photo instead of a thumbnail of my banner graphic?
what does everyone think?
http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/cymrusteve
–steve
Hey Steve, Though I think your banner graphic is cool I do think it would be better to use a photo of a person. That’s just my opinion though. Others may feel differently.
time to find a photo of my ugly mug….
watch this space i guess!
thanks for the advice,
–steve
Where I come from ( and where I work) it’s not advisable for me to show a thumbnail photo for reasons I need not disclose. I enjoy blogging so I design an avatar that’s also my branding icon which you people will come to recognize. And hopefully appreciate.
Just ask yourself, can you tell whether a blogger is sincere or not, masquerading as someone else, writing trivia or writing worthy stuff? I’m sure most of us are able to distinguish the difference, i.e. the good, the bad and the ugly. Should we feel uncomfortable communicating with a blog that has no face? I don’t think so. And if there’s an avatar with a face, does it really belong to the person behind the blog? There’s one very popular blog where we know the face does not belong to its owner, and yet bloggers are clamouring to visit the blog. Do I prove a point?
Mark, Thanks for your input. I know there are people that use celebrity photo’s instead of there own and probably others that use non-celeb photos too. This post is just my opinion and I am not suggesting all people use photos. The point to this post was to point out that many people are more attracted to clicking on thumbnails/avatars of people rather than graphic logos in a mybloglog or blogcatalog type widget. I am also not saying that a blog is more worthy if they have a photo of the author. I don’t believe you should rate a blog based on the way the author looks. Good blog content should be the main goal for any blogger and blog reader.