a picture is worth a thousand words

I came across this article about how we judge people by their profile pictures, not by the actual content of their facebook, or Google + etc. It's sad... but I find myself doing this all the time. I try not to. But it just happens.

I do my best to show my personality with my pictures, not sure if I always do, but it is what I attempt. I don't get many pictures of me, so, i don't change my profile pictures all that often. It's always a toss up for me. It also depends on the social network we are talking about. For some reason, my facebook pic doesn't change all that much, but I do enjoy switching up my timeline picture. (which reminds me, I think it's time for a new quote on there) Google+ I seem to switch a bit more often, usually every time I get another great picture of me, which is somewhat few and far between, but it does happen. My Twitter and Pintrist accounts are linked, and I seem to update that one as much as Google+.

But it all goes in swings. Summer I tend to change up the pic more then winter. Sometimes, I just don't feel like a change. Once upon a time I was a habitual profile picture changer. It would change almost every other day sometimes.

I think my biggest profile picture question is, is it better to change it more, or not change it and stick with that one great picture. sometimes I find I'm frustrated with the people who never change their picture. I want to see the new hair cut they were talking about, or just get a new perspective on them. I mean we all go on adventures, we all have new experiences, show you are proud of what you have done. Almost like badge of honor. Sometimes it's fun to click through a person's old profile pictures to see how they have changed over the years.

One thing that always bothers me, and maybe it shouldn't and I'm just being a little weird, is when a person keeps a picture taken by their ex-girlfriend/boyfriend as their profile picture, long after they have broken up. I know there is no reason for this to bother me, but it does. Part of it may be coming from the photographer in me who says that I took that picture out of the love I had for you, that love is broken, or gone, so that picture shouldn't represent you any more. I don't care if it's still in the profile picture album or whatever, I just don't like it when it is the current picture "defining" that person.

All the pictures I have here have been my Google+ pictures (most are doubled as other social media as well) and yes, there are two of them that were taken by an ex, but I did not keep them as the main photo after the break up. It was a reminder I didn't want to have, and a control over me that I didn't want him to have any more. He no longer had anything to do with defining me. But again, maybe I'm just a little crazy.

I'm not sure what the right way to handle the whole profile picture situation is. One thing I do know, is that we are turning into a visual world. We want to know a person from the moment we lay our eyes on their profile picture. 

I guess the moral of the story is to keep in mind that your profile picture defines you. Make sure it shows you to be, and the person you are...

Sources:
Facebook Users Judge Friends by Photos, Not Profile | David Mielach, Business News Daily Staff Writer
Google Thinks a Picture is Worth Many Thousand Clicks | Chad Brooks, Business News Daily Contributor

will there ever be a winner?

I found this interesting article tonight.

Facebook vs Google+

For me, Facebook is for "everyone I've ever meet". Since college, for some of us, Facebook has been where we build our contacts. It's where we create events to get together.  It's where we say happy birthday to that girl we meet once at some event and then forgot about. It's where we stalk our ex's and maybe even start a new romance with another person that we thought was cute and added as a friend.
Google+ is for people who I actually want to hear what they have to say, at least for the most part. For the people in my life who I genuinely want to hear what they have to say. To see where their lives are going and how it is right now. I love the control it gives you. That you can so easly not show those people that you only know a little bit about the boy that just broke your heart, but share with the world the picture you just took of your puppy.
I think I disagree with the idea that people only have space for one social network in their life, but maybe i'm the anomaly. After all I'm involved in 4 blogs (in one respect or another) Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and who knows what else.
In a way I don't think that Google+ was really meant to "replace" Facebook right off the bat. Just as Google Buzz wasn't meant to replace Twitter, at least not in my eyes. I think that Google is trying to make following people and their social networks easier. It is to enhance your experience, not replace. You can connect your blog, tweets, what you read, what you care about, etc, to a single place.  Google reader makes it easy to share the cool things you find on the blogs you follow, one thing that Facebook doesn't even come close to having. Google is a one stop shop. It makes it so much easier when you can go to one place and catch up on "everything" that person is involved in when it comes to the Internet. Not to mention chat and check your e-mail!
But then that is how I see it.
And I'm obviously no expert.
I think the real problem is that Google allows many options and ways to connect so many different networks, yet doesn't really "show" or encourage it to be used that way. Not to mention that Google+ is trying to attract a select crowd, the die hard google users, the people who are involved with lots of social media and those who want to keep up with other people who are the same. Where facebook lets them all in.
In a way I think that the "one stop shop" is ahead of it's time. I know that Facebook has that option as well, but with less control of who you share with (or at least more hoops to jump through to control anything).
The lack of adds is extremely refreshing as well, and if Google+ can keep ads out of it's design, in the long run, Facebook might just go down.
But again. What do I know.

Posted via email from