Are nude images appropriate for profile mugshots?
If you don’t check out BizTalk regularly, you might’ve missed a great discussion about mixing personal and professional. The title of the discussion is, “Sharing personal beliefs in business…?” and 22 comments were weighed in.
Half-way through the discussion, Elizabeth Scarlett changed the mugshot on her profile and replaced a representational photo of herself with a sample of one of her nude paintings. (She’s since changed it back, so you’ll have to visit her web site to see her work now.) At the same time, she stated,
“I’m a visual person. If there is a not a good picture of the person, I’m less likely to be interested in hiring them. They don’t have to be attractive, but I’ve always felt that I can get a good feeling about someone based on the picture they choose to share with prospective customers.”
This opinion is shared by many. I can’t tell you how often people have told me how appreciative they are of identifiable photos on Biznik profiles, because it’s also made it 100 times easier to pick that person out at an event where they wanted to meet them.
I’d like to pose this question to a greater audience:
What is the purpose of the Biznik profile mugshot?
(We’re not setting new policy here, just interested in hearing people’s thoughts.)
1) An identifiable photo of the member
For the purpose Elizabeth stated above?
2) A representation of who you are/an expression of yourself.
Like Elizabeth’s nude painting; Andrew Friedman’s choice to display the Liberty Bar logo; or Bryan Lhuillier, who uploaded a cute picture of a dog wearing an apple suit?
Or 3) a place holder that increases your ranking in the directory? (Biznik profiles without mugshots rank at the bottom of the membership directory regardless of how active you are on the site and at events.)
I have to wonder why some mugshots are pictures of the person 30 feet from the camera on a ski slope with their face obstructed by a hat and goggles.
If you’d like to weigh your .02 in, please comment on this blog!
September 18th, 2006 at 9:58 am
This is a good question. I really feel it’s so important to see the person’s face. I want to connect with that person, fix them in my brain.
If I go to a profile that doesn’t have a clear and identifiable face shot but instead has a logo, a place holder or the person way off in the distance I will never refer them.
This could just be me but to show ones face, authentic in all it’s glory, even if it’s just after they woke up, at least it tells me they are willing to be seen and say “Here I am, take me as I am.” I have so much respect for this and like my need to feel the fabric of the cloths I am going to buy, I need to see that person’s eyes.
I kinda relate it to dating. If I am on a dating site and the person won’t show their face it tells me they are hiding or will not be up front and honest with me. I need that honesty to put my trust in them and what they represent..
September 18th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Good analogy with the dating site, Phoenix! I agree. Sharing your picture online is how you make a direct first impression, whether in dating or business. I’ve seen Biznik photographers have promotions for professional profile photos and I think a lot of people would benefit from this. But even a candid, personal shot, that lets your personality come through in your eyes and/or a smile is better than a blurry or unidentifiable picture.
Whether or not a logo or product might be a better use for some people is something I’m still considering, personally.
Let’s face it, though. On our profiles, we are selling ourselves as much as we are selling our product or services. If someone isn’t enticed to click on my profile, they’ll never become my client.
September 18th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I’m definately partial to a decent, upclose picture.
I feel that a profile picture that is clear and recognizable is as important to the biznik community as a suit and tie is to the corporate world.
In either place, the requirement is to look approachable and friendly. An unfriendly picture (and I don’t think a logo could ever be friendly) has the same effect as showing up to a business conference wearing jeans: a lot of opportunities will pass the jeans-wearer by.
Rebecca – (spurring a whol new debate on whether judging people by their clothing is reasonable or not)
September 18th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
It seems like nude images would be OK if they were in some way connected to the member’s business (he/she paints nudes, is an artist’s model, works in the sex industry, is a performance artist, etc.). Otherwise when I see a nude shot in a profile, or a head/torso shot that suggests that the person is nude, my assumption is that the member Biznik as an online dating service.
As for logos — sometimes a logo does say as much as a photo. Not often, but it happens.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
I’m on the fence myself. In one regards Biznik is about “radical” self promotion and with very few exceptions, we encourage members to define that for themselves. (Exceptions are for things like those from Multi Level Marketing companies.)
On the other hand, we are all participating in building an affinity network, a community of like minded people with whom we feel a connection, and clear representational and identifiable photos greatly contribute to the succes of that.
I believe that a nice middle ground is to include a non-traditional identifiable photo that clearly represents you, while representing your style and personality at the same time.
Someone mentioned in the BizTalk discussion that they would like to know what Andrew Friedman of the Liberty Bar looks like, but acknowledged that it really was of little importance if they new who the proprietor was – that Andrew was probably getting more out of displaying a logo that people might recognize the next time they flip through a rag he advertises in or drive by his joint on 15th Ave. in Seattle.
I hate to force people to go back and forth between the comments to this blog and the BizTalk discussion I referenced above, so here’s a link to a comment on the discussion that John Adair made that I think is also worth noting.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
Because I participate in online Biznik from my day-job, I prefer that the images thereon are not risque. Perhaps sultry, even provocative, but not anything that is going to cross over into my day-job’s no-no list.
That’s my preference; I respect that showing a nipple (or whatever) might be promoting exactly what that Biznik wants to be selling to us.
And that’s the baseline for what images we Bizniks choose to post–each of us weighing what the image will convey; I certainly do look at other Biznik profiles with the presumption that each of us selects our “photo” because it will project those aspects of ourselves and/or our business that we wish to promote.
Ditto with what we write in our profiles, and the content of any blog whose link we include.
September 18th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Oh. I just took another glance at the “Members” page.
Scot Duke has updated his “photo” since last I looked, and what he’s got there now seems perfect to me.
Same with Rebecca Wood and Carla Sonheim–great little snippets conveying your products/services.
While I might not recognize any of the three at a Biznik event, if I were poking around Biznik for an illustrator or soap or someone knowledgable about golf, their “photos” would grab my attention more so than a standard headshot.
September 19th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
I have never been one to judge a person by their profile picture alone. Personally I hate to have my picture taken and would rather profle our products as its the products that we manufacture and distribute.
I am more attracted to those profiles that offer actual product pictures as its the product or service Im after not the person.
I would also much rather make a first impression by meeting in person than having someone see a less than perfect photo of me posted in a profile!
As far as nude or skimpy pictures on a profile….
never, under any circumstances. If the person offers such items as nude paintings etc. then the profile picture should be of them fully clothed with a reference to their website for further viewing.