Faceless on the Net?
Ah, the dilemma of whether to post a photo or not—that is the question. For sure, a photo, any photo, will get you more attention than not having one—stats suggest seven times more viewings. And that is an old stat. Now, with the ability to search “photos only,” likely profiles with no photos get little if any attention at all. For sure, as this article points out, those with no photos leave themselves open to suspicion: What is this person trying to hide? Of course, it may be that the person is not so good looking, or he or she doesn’t want their spouse or the neighbors to know they are two-timing. But the most frequent reason for non-posting a photo that I hear is that the poster is high-profile in his or her community and does not want to mix their professional life with their personal. While I understand this reservation (I had a similar one when I was looking on Match.com and was a prominent psychotherapist in my small city), still, what’s wrong with looking for love? Being recognized on a dating site is like seeing someone you know in a gay bar. No use worrying, because you are there for the same reason. Also, the possibility of being recognized would likely keep everyone more honest and humble. Would you want your boss and co-workers to see you bragging or exaggerating in your profile essay?
See this article below for more musings:
No photo available! What’s the story behind online facelessness?
By J. Michele Brown For the St. Louis American
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:04 PM CST
When you visit an online social network like iseecolor.com or a dating website like blackpeoplmeet.com and you come across a profile with no photograph, what do you think?
Is it just me, or do you wonder what the story behind the facelessness is?
Online social networking allows us to get to know people we may otherwise not have contact with and exchange thoughts and ideas. It’s one of the most exciting ways to communicate, when done responsibly.
Many people have a tough time meeting people face to face without judging, so how much more difficult would it be to communicate with a faceless profile online?
It is hard enough, when we do get a picture, especially on a dating site. We hope that the face and the description are genuine. Katt Williams may make us laugh about this subject in the movie Internet Dating, but some of us have found out, this really happens!
So I asked around. Most people thought the faceless profiles had something to hide and what they were hiding probably wasn’t good. What I also learned was many people had an immediate prejudice toward these profiles.
Wow, that was amazing to me. It did not matter how good looking a man or woman profiled him/her self to be, most did not buy it. Others felt there maybe another issue going on, like perhaps the person was in a committed or secret relationship.
The general consensus was if we hide our face, we are probably hiding something else.
In all fairness, some beautiful people and some professional people told me they simply did not want the world viewing their pictures. Some create profiles just to see who’s online or what one of these online sites is like. Others feel they want someone to get to know them before seeing them, which made them freer to express themselves. I personally respect these positions as well.
Are we really so superficial or insecure? If we check out the sites that attract people between the ages of 15 and 29, we almost always see photos in their profiles. They are far less self-conscious. Sometimes we see more than we ever wanted to. However, when we check out sites that attract a mature audience over 30, there tends to be more faceless profiles.
But don’t be fooled – some of us over 30 can get down like we were still in our college days on our profiles!
This new age of internet communication brings about new opportunities to enhance our socialization skills. So, the next time you are online hanging out with more friends than you ever had in your lifetime, before you deem the faceless profile a social outcast, remember prejudice is rooted in what we do not see and what we do not understand …
I am a 42 year old female and I won’t bother with faceless profiles. It’s a turn off on so many levels. One of them is their attitude or inability to put up a complete profile. If you are unable to show a picture, I feel you are withholding something and that isnt’ attractive. It’s like you are embarrassed or something. If you are, don’t go online.
It’s just silly. Everyone likes to check out a photo because it says so much. It’s not superficial...it’s a big part of who you are and what type you want. If you are not posting, you are not playing fair and it’s rude. You are not giving the other person what they need to evaluate you.
Posted by Soliel on 03/06 at 01:56 PM