It’s Called FACEBook for a Reason! :)
A picture says a thousand words, would you agree? When you receive incoming Facebook friend requests, I’ll bet the person’s profile picture has a LOT of bearing on your decision to accept their invite or not. See, one of the great aspects of Facebook is the fact we have the opportunity for our face to show up throughout the platform.
[Right: Sample pics from Top Friends app, one of my favorites to spotlight your peeps.]
Lately, I’ve noticed all kinds of weird - and even downright nasty - profile pics from incoming friend requests. My policy is to hit the ignore button. I don’t mean to judge people or suggest there’s only one way to use Facebook. But, for me, I use the platform almost exclusively for professional networking and business building.
If you too want to optimize your profile and your results on Facebook, I highly recommend you ONLY ever use an attractive headshot of yourself - ideally fairly close up. Remember, your pic appears in a small thumbnail format each time you “leave your footprint” e.g. post on Walls, make Comments, show your Status in your friends’ Home Page etc., so you want your profile pic to look just as attractive in small format as large.
Also, from a metaphysical standpoint, did you know your pic carries a vibrational resonance? Yep, people really do dig your “vibe” - or not - through your pic.
Meantime, for the record, I do not make friends with any of the following folks, as indicated by their profile pic:
- Dogs.*
- Cats.
- Logos.
- Cartoons.
- Graphics.
- Cars.
- Guys on motorbikes.
- People wearing sunglasses.
- Bikini-clad gals.
- Guys with bare torsos.
- Half a head.
- Landscapes.
- Statues.
- People giving me the finger. (Yes, I really just got a friend request from some dude with his middle finger stuck in front of his face. Uh, hello? What planet, sir?)
- Question mark. (The default if you don’t upload a pic).**
Exceptions:
*If you’re a mega dog lover and your profile pic is an attractive shot of you with your beloved doggie.
**If I know someone is very new to Facebook, I may accept them as a friend given they may not yet know how to upload a profile pic.
How about you? How important is someone’s profile pic to you?
UPDATE: I’d like to cite Dr. BJ Fogg’s blog post Picture Persuasion in Facebook:
…Every upload of a real photo enhances the credibility of Facebook. And it’s precisely this–credibility–that sets Facebook apart from most other social networks…
Your mugshot is the most important element on your Facebook Profile Page, even more important than your name.
Hear, hear!
Make A Comment: ( 10 so far )
10 Responses to “It’s Called FACEBook for a Reason! :)”
Dr.Mani
May 3rd, 2008
Hey Mari, I so agree although i probably haven’t been too strict about it so far. I hate it when i can’t SEE who i am befriending. There are also those people who constantly change their profile pic ~ although it can be nice to see different pics, your image is part of your beand and people will recognise you more if you keep the same photo for a longer period of time…
Emily la Grange
May 3rd, 2008
@Emily - great point! I’m all for changing profile pics from time to time - it’s a good way to create visibility in your friends’ News Fees. But for sure it should still represent you well.
@Dr. Mani - thank you! 
And your friendly appealing pic represents you well.
Mari Smith
May 3rd, 2008
This is a great post. I could not agree more. The first impression is lasting and since with facebook you cannot see someone’s profile until you are their friend, all you see is their picture, so it better be good or else.
annalaura brown
May 4th, 2008
I agree completely Mari. Professional pics are really important for my accepting friend requests. There are some “fun” pics that are great to see, I love to learn about personalities. Ultimately, I gather it depends on your objective in using Facebook.
Great post
Maria Reyes-McDavis
Web Success Diva
May 5th, 2008
[...] Most of us hear the word “Facebook” and think of a web app. Mari Smith brings us back to earth with a blinding flash of the obvious—Facebook is about FACES. Read her post here. [...]
Hi Mari,
I am so glad you wrote this post. Somehow I thought I was the only one who got annoyed with the photo antics of those who don’t get it that a face- an nice shining friendly-ish face that is somewhat well groomed- is an understood requirement.
I don’t like to befriend question marks and half heads either-to say the least. I do make exceptions but they are rare.
You are right on with the vibe thing. It is so important to my “friend or not” decision as is the photo and profile of everyone I meet.
thanks!
Alexandra
Alexandra Barrett’s last blog post.. Baby Boomer Life: Success and Commitment In The Second Fifty Years
Alexandra Barrett
May 26th, 2008
Hi, Mari–
Great post about pictures and first impressions. Two thoughts:
We human beings are primarily a visual species. We get most of our information through our eyes, and first impressions are almost always visual.
Second, I believe that people who put a pleasant, personable pic on their profile are more outer-directed. They’re doing it for others in order that all those others can see them. People who upload snarky, nasty, or irrelevant pics are doing it because it’s fun for them. But if you pay attention, both kinds of pictures are extremely revealing as far as what they’re saying about themselves.
Best, Jay
Jay Speyerer
June 4th, 2008
Great post! As a pro photographer, I notice so many bad profile pics. Biggest offenders are those with poor lighting, making it difficult to see the face, and/or subject is too far from camera so their face is too small to recognize.
I notice you mentioned logos being bad and I have a question about that. My personal page has my photo, and I use my logo on my fan page. I notice many fan pages use the brand logo for the profile pic. What do you think of using your logo, or your product, (in my case it would be portraits of my clients) as your brand identity?
Colleen
March 1st, 2010
Mari, thanks so much for pointing this out. You speak from my heart. I know from myself that I make an assessment in the first second of seeing an image if I would like to meet this person or not.
I love what you say about the “vibrational resonance”. When I work with my clients to create head shots of them, it’s not just about “looking good”. Beyond that there is this certain spark in the eyes I am looking for in my photos, that draws the viewer in. It has to do with presence, the feeling that the person in the photo is not hiding behind a fake smile or a stiff posture. There is so much communicated through the eyes. And - in the end - what makes us interested in a person is how this person looks at us. If we feel this person is able to “see” us and is not all tangled up in his or her own concerns, insecurities or blown up importance . All that can be communicated in a photo.
Ingrid
March 2nd, 2010
Mari, your professional profile photo DID indeed resonate with me - and turned me from stranger to follower, after which the quality of your Facebook content extended this into being a fan… within an hour!
Dr.Mani