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| Icaterus |
 Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:57 am Post subject: Is a picture of the author important? |
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Primary member
Joined: Dec 03, 2006
Posts: 70
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
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Have you noticed how some blogs have a picture of the author? Usually near the top of the right sidebar.
I'm redesigning my blog at the moment and wanting to figure out if I should make room for a picture? My current design right now has a pic of me... well it's actually my avatar and not the real me... lol I should change that. But my new theme doesn't come with any space up the top right, so I'm going to have to edit some stuff to get it to fit.
Do you think seeing the author helps you to trust the blog? Blogs are all about trust  , and creating a personal and community feeling (well IMO blogs are about that..).
Do you think having a personal picture is important, like should I make room for it? Or not bother?
Does anyone do it themselves and think it helps?
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Thanks for watching as I fall. |
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| Rose |
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: Sep 06, 2006
Posts: 1920
Location: Canada
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Well I think that you need to decide up front how much personal information you are willing to share on your blog and a photo is personal. I have a photo of myself on my blog, but it isn't a recent one. You are only 17, are you not? In that case I would not advice you to share a personal photo only because of your age. My daughter is almost 17 and she decided to share a photo with balloons covering her face. lol You might want to add a small about me section though.
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| Shadeofgray |
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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Banned
Joined: Jan 03, 2007
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Location: Glen Ellyn IL
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I don't think it's important, but I do think it helps people relate to the author more. I have two pics of me in the header, one of me all artsy like and another from holloween when I dressed up as Bill Clinton in a Rush Limbaugh: club Gitmo shirt
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| PeriS |
| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: Sep 13, 2006
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
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I use a picture of the 'inner me', not my actual face. I change it occasionally because I hope that I do change. I'm a little more positive now than I used to be so I use a prettier pic.
This is false advertising, of course. I don't think it means that I can't be trusted. I totally can be!  |
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| Invader_Stu |
| Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:39 am Post subject: |
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Train Ticket Criminal
Joined: Sep 08, 2006
Posts: 355
Location: Holland
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I think it can be important but at the same time it is not important.
It all depends on what your site is like and how you right. Is it just you writing or have you created a whole online persona which is better represented by an icon or symbol?
I try to make my writing quite comical and I play up the 'silly' side of me on my blog. It is not the real me but it is not a lie either. It is just part of me so I think it is better represented by the cartoon image of myself that I use then a real photo.
It was funny when I met a reader in real life and she said it would take her a little time not to imagin me as my cartoon
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| AndyD |
| Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:44 am Post subject: My two cents |
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I still consider myself a newbie, so take my advice for what it is, just my two cents:
I have a picture of me on my site. I think it gives me a little more credibility becuase of the nature of my site. I post a lot of political opinion, and I feel if I am willing to attach my face to those thoughts, then I should feel pretty good about them.
What Rose said is important too. Decide how much personal information you are willing to share. If you are 17 as Rose stated, I would avoid putting a lot of information. Also, I think if you are targeting people in your age group, an avatar my be more appropriate than an actual picture anyway.
Just my thoughts, do with them what you will. |
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| Icaterus |
| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:03 am Post subject: |
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Joined: Dec 03, 2006
Posts: 70
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
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Awesome. Thanks for the advice.
I'm 19 not 17... if two years makes any difference..?  .
The things is my blog is described as being about my 'journey becoming a screenwriter'. So I'm thinking it would really help someone reading if they could see a picture of who was writing... but then I don't have enough room to fit a picture on my new design. Umm...
I think what I'm going to do is NOT add a picture of me on the side of every page, but have one on a page about me.
Thanks
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| AndyD |
| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:37 am Post subject: Sounds like a deal... |
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| Sounds like a good compromise. At the end of the day, you know your blog and what you want to do with it better than the rest of us. If you think you need a picture, then put a picture up. |
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| Jessi |
| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:09 am Post subject: |
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| Personally, I don't put a picture of myself up....mainly because I have the quirky avy that I use to connect myself from different sites, and it's an easy-to-remember symbol, as opposed to just another face out there for someone to forget. I had intentions of including pictures of myself 'within' my blog so that people could see me if they wanted to, but as time went by, it wasn't really a 'personal' blog in that sense anyway. If people really want to see me, then I'm certainly not that hard to track down considering I have links on my blog to other sites where pictures are available of me. Frankly, my blog isn't the kind where people would need to feel like they need to trust me....and it's not really a personal blog in the sense of telling about my life....so I don't really even feel it's that appropriate for me to toss a personal photo of myself out there. It's not important for my content. |
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| Rose |
| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| kotseo |
| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:27 am Post subject: Not pic |
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Joined: Feb 01, 2007
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Location: Costa Rica
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I usually Use symbol instead of Pic as it makes me lot confusion(  )
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| ririzarry |
| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:49 am Post subject: |
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| Jessi wrote: | | Personally, I don't put a picture of myself up....mainly because I have the quirky avy that I use to connect myself from different sites, and it's an easy-to-remember symbol, as opposed to just another face out there for someone to forget. |
That's a very good point - although I understand the argument of a picture invoking trust, there's something to be said for it getting lost in the signal. That said, several of the top bloggers include their pictures in their blogs. I suppose that it depends on content. If part of your blog is selling your personality it probably makes a great deal more difference than, let's see, a guitar related blog like mine. 
Regards,
Robert
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| GTBlogging |
| Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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I use a picture of myself on my professional site but not on my personal blog. I don't use one on our business blog. I'm a writer, too, and like I said -- on my clips site? Yes. On my personal site? No.
I don't think it's important and I rarely look for pics of other bloggers when I'm surfing around.
Daw
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