Hi Kerry. I think it's really important to be able to see who you are communicating with, so I love to see faces. It is especially nice to see a happy smiling face, it cheers me up and I think, I would really like to get to know this person. Thanks for the blog. Ches

I totally agree with you as it's always nice to put a face on a name and it's also more humaine.

Well done! It is the first thing they see, so let there be beauty right!! Show your true self, they will keep coming back!

It is good for people to see who you are but there are those who may not be comfortable show their pictures yet or they have to keep things private

Some people don't want their picture posted on the Internet for fear that enemies or rogue government agencies will use it to track them. Don't worry about that. Those rogue government agencies already have your pictures, your work history, your medical history, etc. One more picture isn't going to make any difference.

You have a point. Most people react positively when seeing, for example, your photo that radiates optimism. However, people are not the same and that's the trick. I prefer not to share my personal photos, not because I'm not comfortable with myself or anything like that, but simply because I'm a bit of an introvert. Agree with Sarah and Johan, I judge a profile or a post by what I get in terms of sharing experiences, knowledge, advice etc.
Either way, good post Betty.

Hi Kerry, I read through all the comments and found it rather interesting. I actually prefer both because of the old saying, " Don't judge a book by its cover." Another thing that I would like to bring to mind is, it takes a lot less muscles to smile. People that smile and laugh a lot are people that really enjoys life and they also make some very good leaders. Most people that smile and laugh a lot are extroverts. One strange thing that I have found to be very true is that introverts are actually very good leaders. Take Bill Gates, he is an introvert, really. Unfortunately I have to go now otherwise I will be chatting the whole and I have a lot of work today on my fork...Have a blessed Christ-filled day....bye...

Well said Kerry. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words..And you have a lovely bright smile which goes a long way to people trusting your words.

This is an interesting thought. I don't particularly mind if someone puts a dog or a car or whatever. I find I concentrate more on the words they use in their profile. Although I do agree that (for me) a "real" picture gives you more of a feel for the person. There may be reasons that people don't feel comfortable sharing personal photos online. And also another photo might actually give an insight into what that person is like. So I think we need to accept that people will do things in the way that is right for them.

However, on the other side of the coin, others also need to understand that the pictures they use may be culturally offensive or off-putting to others (for reasons of noones fault!). So being more personal and adding a "real" photo in your photo could help to create a better impression potentially.

What comes to mind here is a training I did over here in the UAE to local teenagers in a school setting. The materials had to be approved at the highest level. There's was a picture of a donkey pulling a heavy load. The idea was to portray the importance of doing hard work. However we had to remover the picture as in their culture a donkey signifies stupidity. So it was removed, along with a memo to all staff forbidding us to use donkey pictures in all future trainings!!!! This lead to some hilarious comments but the point is that what means something to one person means another thing to someone else.

What is really needed here is empathy and understanding from everyone and a willingness to look beyond the "cover".

Good point Betty, it is about trust. You can't really trust someone you can't see.