Photos on 'about me' pages - is there a need for them?

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I

iArtist

  • #1
    I know from what I have seen the general theme for photos on 'about me' pages is a smiling, formal image..arms folded, side view ish...corporate looking type thing. And in my biz, photos generally involve the cartoonists 'desk', their office space or them at work or a caricature of the cartoonist as oppose to a photo.

    Do you as a business person have an 'about me' photo and do you value them at all on websites in general?

    Does anyone take any notice of these?

    Do they have a value and are some photos a definite no-no? (Aside from the obvious naked with rose up butt...as seen re Xmas party pics)
     
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    S

    sla3

  • #2
    Nope. No need for one at all in my view. I want to know what you have done/can do - not what you look like.

    I'd find it a bit "blech", but I'm of my generation; it may be different with youngsters today who seem happy to let their whole lives be public property ...
     
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  • #4
    I think it very much depends on the type of business and how the person looks.

    I.E on our dolls house shop was an article done by a local paper with a picture of my partner.A middle aged quite homely looking girl.

    I suspect A picture of me ,as I look a tad like uncle Albert would not have been quite right.

    You got to be careful with actual pictures as most read a lot into them.

    Earl
     
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    T

    thebiznizdotcom

  • #5
    We used to have just text on our site with some off the shelf gallery pictures and then we decided to change it to a picture of who runs it and more of a description of "who" we are and "why" and the sign up's were definately higher.
    Picture's and good contact details certainly work. People want to know who you are, they want to feel an affiliation. It can't do any harm can it?
     
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    I

    I Love Spreadsheets

  • #12
    I'm an ugly, fat, old guy and I use my photo whenever I can, but that is because I have used a particular marketing method until now.

    Whenever I go to business meetings, networking events, to meet clients etc I always wear an "I Love Spreadsheets" t-shirt. So a photo of me in the t-shirt is in the header of my website, the about me page, in my email signatures and until recently all my online signatures. As a result, when ever I go to a business event anywhere in the UK I normally get recognised half a dozen times. (Even Pepsi's European Board of Directors know me from the t-shirt)

    This is coming to an end as I'm dropping the "I Love Spreadsheets" logo over the next couple of months.

    Not only is this a quirky marketing gimmick it has given my services a human face which has helped put my clients at ease when calling me. They know they will be talking to a real person when they call me which is one less barrier to calling me and not the other company.
     
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    matt seymour

    Free Member
    Jan 5, 2011
    1,073
    369
    Portsmouth
  • #15
    I think it helps in some professions more than others.

    I think a photo on tradesmens' websites certainly helps. People don't want to be letting any old Tom, Dick or Harry into their house, so being able to see that their potential plumber or builder etc doesn't look like an axe murderer will make the customer more likely to pick up the phone. I went down that route on the advice of numerous people who spend a lot of time working in private residences and it did work.

    It's probably not quite as important for larger businesses, but I still think it can make a difference depending on the kind of companies/individuals you deal with.

    A single photo on the "About me" page certainly won't do any harm, unless you DO happen to look like an axe murderer of course!
     
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    I

    iArtist

  • #16
    matt seymour said:
    A single photo on the "About me" page certainly won't do any harm, unless you DO happen to look like an axe murderer of course!
    Click to expand...

    What does an axe murderer look like? ;)

    (If Gothika is anything to go by...Halle Berry :) )

    Meanwhile, I was thinking of just having an informal pic of me with my dog..friendly, approachable type image. Is that too obscure for my site?
     
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    reggiemental

    reggiemental

    Free Member
    Feb 21, 2008
    766
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    Newbury/Bournemouth
  • #17
    Cartoon Logos said:
    I know from what I have seen the general theme for photos on 'about me' pages is a smiling, formal image..arms folded, side view ish...corporate looking type thing.
    Click to expand...

    I hate this sort of thing which is why many years ago I decided to take a different tack with our 'contact us' page. The commercial print business isn't normally associated with the words 'fun' or 'exciting', so I had to think of something a bit different. Surprisingly, it's been one of our most successful pages and we have received many written testimonials over the years basically saying the page has made our company more approachable and friendly, which we are!

    Yes, it's a complete load of BS but it works for us.

    http://www.castleprint.co.uk/contacting-us.html
     
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    I

    iArtist

  • #24
    Dave.F said:
    I like to see who I am dealing with;)
    Click to expand...

    Dave, bit off-topic here

    Re those swim caps.

    I once had an idea that it would be nice to have a swim cap that did not make one look 'bald' so thought if some crazy fun attachments were added, such as brightly coloured dreds etc, it could make them more appealing to slightly mad peeps like myself who don't go in for that 'retro' look. :)

    What is the likelihood of an afro swim cap for example?
     
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    captaincloser

    captaincloser

    Free Member
    Mar 20, 2010
    2,754
    1,130
  • #31
    " A picture is worth a thousand words"


    awkward-ed-miliband.jpg


    (not that Tory-boy looks any better I admit)
     
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    Salt&Pepper

    Salt&Pepper

    Free Member
    Oct 7, 2011
    151
    23
    London
  • #38
    I think a pic makes it more personable and the people looking at your profile might think they know you a bit better now.

    This said, I am one of those people that is put off by some pictures. I saw a few profiles on this forum, where looking at the member's photo (appearance and perceived body language) made me think they might be arrogant and not trustworthy.
     
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    I

    iArtist

  • #39
    Salt&Pepper said:
    I think a pic makes it more personable and the people looking at your profile might think they know you a bit better now.

    This said, I am one of those people that is put off by some pictures. I saw a few profiles on this forum, where looking at the member's photo (appearance and perceived body language) made me think they might be arrogant and not trustworthy.
    Click to expand...

    ooh.... do tell?? :)
     
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