12 Feb 2011

PROFILES.

Firstly apologies that there was no post yesterday - Pooter is still being very temperamental and, not to be outdone, the laptop decided to join in and throw a bit of  a wobbly and as it was my birthday I decided not to do battle.

And talking of birthdays, I'd like to share this lovely birthday verse that was sent to me by Arti of  MY YATRA DIARY fame. Thanks Arti.

Along with Love, Dear Petty Witter,
Today I have bought something else too…
Not one, not two,
But truckloads of it just for you,

Close your eyes and hold one of it tight,
Thrust your teeth and take a big bite,
And while you are smiling and savoring the choco-delight,
I pray you always be happy and reach newer heights!


Moving on ....... I found this interesting article in Take A Break magazine and though it is really about the profiles we use on our FaceBook I thought it also probably applies to our blog profiles.

US researchers have found that people are more likely to see you the way you see yourself if your profile image is a photo of you, taken outdoors and with at least one other person in view.

I guess my hedgehog icon, though obviously not a photo, could therefore suggest that I'm a bit of a prickly character, prone to fleas who rolls up into a tight ball at the least sign of trouble - oh well, at least the last bit is true, I don't like confrontation and would curl up if only I could.

Psychologist Dr Colin Gill reveals some of the hidden messages behind your profile picture.

CARTOONS - A great way of preserving your anonymity while signalling a certain outlook on life.
Middle-aged and older surfers often use cartoons in order to look hip and cool, so it's a way of feeling more youthful and dealing with apparently younger people.
The anonymity also allows people who are otherwise quite staid and conformist to exhibit a more rebellious and childish streak.

Well, after reading that statement I may well just have to change my profile. How about using ........?

FAMILY PETS - Pictures of pets immediately identify you to people with shared interests and, if the pets look healthy and happy, are statements about what a caring and pleasant person you are.
Pet pictures are also an invitation to conversation because they give a shared topic that isn't personally intrusive and that can be virtually endless.

CHILDREN - Images of children and family show others what your priorities are. Some people are immensely proud of their kids and want to display to thew rest of the world how wonderful they are.
Although it may appear that the person is being modest about themselves, it actually allows them to bask in the reflected glory of their fantastic family and subtly point out that they must be pretty special to be associated with such great people.

EVER-CHANGING - There is evidence to show that people now have shorter attention spans and expect a lot more change than previous generations.
Youngsters make much more use of networking sites and they are also the group that wants change and excitement most, so it's not surprising that they regularly change the way they present themselves online.

Hmm, interesting given that the most prolific 'profile changer' amongst my FB friends happens to be a man in his forties.

NO PICTURE -  Some people leave a blank space or settle for FB's default head and shoulder outline.
If you don't have a profile picture, people think all sorts of things. You could just be a very private person, but this may leave others wondering what you've got to hide. - Elaine Pearson.

SO, what do you think? What does your profile REALLY say about you?

14 comments:

Bleeding Healer said...

It's amazing,I loved this post.I always wanted to find an analysis for what exactly it is with us and profile pictures..i saw many of my friends here but not me..what about people who just have themselves in their profile picture..and change it after months?

Anonymous said...

Arti’s a great guy, uh.
My Facebook profile says absolutely nothing specific about me. It’s very vague, and that’s deliberate. I like the anonymity of blogging. I’d dump the FB thing altogether but I wouldn’t want my online friends to think that I’m dumping them. So I leave it going, on the back burner.

Have a nice day, Boonie

Suko said...

Petty, I hope I didn't miss your birthday! (I will check . . .)

I have many friends who change their profile pics every other day. To them, it may be like changing clothes--I don't know! :)

Terrific post!

Alexia561 said...

Interesting post! I use a picture of my cat, staring out our front window, for all of my online accounts. I also like cartoon characters, and used one over the holidays. Fun to see the so-called hidden messages, when all I did was use one of my favorite pictures! ;)

Happy birthday Tracy! Hope all of your birthday wishes came true!

Kelly said...

Well, I guess the fact I refuse to do FB says one thing about me. Perhaps that I'm anti-social? That and the fact that I have very little info in my blogger profile.

As for my avatar, I hate to even think what my cow photo says about me!!! I might be totally insulted!! For the record, the cow in the photo actually is named Kelly and resides in our pasture.

I'm sorry I missed your birthday and failed to send you greeting! Please forgive me. I hope you had a wonderful day and that both of your computers are feeling well again soon. I always miss seeing you here and at my place.

Oddyoddyo13 said...

A short attention span?! I do not have-

Oh, Happy Birthday! Chocolate is always a welcome gift. :)

Suko said...

Happy birthday, Petty!

Su said...

Happy birthday! As my current profile pic is from my wedding day, it probably says that I'm reliving previous glory, or something. :)

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Are hedgehogs really prone to fleas? My husband is. There are feral cats around and he'll come in from the yard with a flea!
I must admit being older makes it hard to find a photo I like. I used one I loved till someone pointed out using 10 year old pictures is deceptive. My geisha picture helps me hide behind all that makeup. Is tarted using my line drawing of my geisha picture because I love line drawings.
Outdoors with another person huh?

Sridharan said...

Interesting thoughts..Happy Birthday, Petty..

Arti said...

I have put up a sunrise photo in my blogger profile, since I feel that it suits the travel theme of my blog... I am not on facebook so dont know much about it!!
Thanks for the mention and have a lovely weekend:)

Dorte H said...

Happy birthday! (Mine was yesterday, the 12th, so I haven´t been as hyperactive online as usual either).

My profile picture: I hope it says I am old enough to show who I am and not care too much about what people think.

Misha said...

I hope you had a great birthday, Tracy! :)

The Bookworm said...

Happy Belated Birthday!!!! I hope it was great ;)
fun post