Profile Picture

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   Moondot1822posted 21 months ago

   Hi there, I hope you all are doing well and great. I need to ask something about the profile picture that we use on HubPages. My question is for those who have changed their profile pictures. Did you notice any link between the profile picture and traffic? Or, in other words, did your traffic increase after changing the picture? I have some concerns about using my own picture. The one on my profile is my daughter's photo.

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      Justine Guiaoposted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Hello, as for me, I have not notice a significant change on my traffic after changing my profile photo. If there is, it is probably not too significant. However, I think that using a realistic profile picture may increase reader's trust on that specific article and author which can be good in the long run.

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         Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

         Thank you for your kind response, Justine.

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      Thelma Albertsposted 21 months agoin reply to this

      I don’t think changing the profile photo will increase the traffic. If it is, it is good to know. I have not changed my profile since I have joined Hubpages ages ago.

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   Jodahposted 21 months ago

   It's only a suggestion. You don't have to put a photo of yourself if you don't want to. As Justine said it may increase readers' trust, but I doubt that it will affect traffic significantly.

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      Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      That's what I want to know, Jodah. Even if I add my photo, who knows if it's me or not?  It may be a silly question, but I still need an answer.

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   ravirajan01posted 21 months ago

   There is a change, Moondot, but not significantly. But then the basic idea is to increase the reader's trust in what you write, as John has rightly mentioned. People would not like to read articles written by somebody whose profile picture has dogs, cats, sceneries, etc. It is more for the impact in the long run.

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      Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your suggestion, Ravi. I agree with you that people prefer to read articles written by genuine writers.

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   Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months ago

   Do whatever you feel comfortable with at the moment...
   If you start seeing an increase..then you might want to change it.

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      Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your advice, dear Brenda. I will definitely change it If I observe a significant difference.

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   eugbugposted 21 months ago

   I wouldn't think so. Most traffic comes from searches, so they don't see your photo beforehand. However the title image you use at the top of articles is often shown as a thumbnail in SERPS that appear in a list format and also in image searches, so you should choose those wisely and make them appealing. Text overlayed on images probably also helps.

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      Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      That's my point as well. Who knows if it's you or not? The main thing is the work that we present to our readers. It should be unique, and as you said, the title image should be eye-catching. One of my articles on Owlcation was edited by the team, and they wrote the title on the first image of my article. 

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   PaulGoodman67posted 21 months ago

   I agree with all that Justine says. The traffic won't shoot up if you change your profile pic. It's more about building trust and reputation for yourself and the site.
   
   You just need to use a realistic pic that you have rights to. To some extent, it depends on the topic, but generally, it should convey the idea that you're a writer/person who can be trusted.
   
   It's fine to say that the written work is the only thing that matters. However, my experience is that people like to know what someone looks like when they're receiving advice/knowledge.
   
   It's particularly important for financial and medical matters, but I actually think it applies across the board. Humans are often wary of what they perceive to be advice/knowledge from an anonymous, ambiguous, or vague source.
   
   It's essentially an emotional/instinctive thing, in my opinion. Seeing the face of the person who's advising or dispatching knowledge feels reassuring.

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      eugbugposted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Just to add, I think if you're going to use a photo of someone who isn't you, be consistent and use it here and across all social media, otherwise you'll mess with people's heads and confuse them if they discover your profile in different places. To avoid the potential issue of using a photo of a real person that may be public domain but that turns out to be a real person and you get accused of impersonating them, maybe use the Faceapp app to disguise yourself? So take a selfie and make yourself older or younger and add different hairstyles, glasses etc so you can't be recognised. Supposedly those images are computer generated although I have a conspiracy theory that the app harvests people's faces and then grafts them into place after doing some matching.

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         PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

         Those sound like good ideas Eugene.
         
         It does depend on how badly someone needs to protect their privacy. If someone's being stalked, or in danger of stalking, then for sure it's wise to take a lot of precautions.
         
         However, for the average person who wants privacy, I think that using a pen name is more important than the photo. Most potential employers, or whatever, are much more likely to search for people using their name rather than face-recognition software.
         
         One thing that's striking about the USA, compared to England, is how much importance is placed on seeing people's faces. If one goes to a business that deals with the public, say a supermarket, it's normal to see portraits of management and teams on the wall.
         
         It seemed odd at first, but I can see that part of the intention is to engender trust. Psychologically, it suggests openness and honesty.

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            eugbugposted 21 months agoin reply to this

            The above sounds like a good basis for a new article on that topic Paul if you haven't written one already.

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         Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

         I don't want to use someone else's photo. Adobe Photoshop may be a suitable option to change my photo. Not a bad idea.

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      Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      I agree Paul. I never used my photo on any of my social media accounts. Nor do I want to use someone else's image.  I think, for me, the best thing is to use my own photo after changing it so no one can recognize me.

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   psycheskinnerposted 21 months ago

   There are also AI programs that will make a "fake face" for you that doesn't belong to anyone else. https://boredhumans.com/faces.php

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      eugbugposted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Another website to amuse me and idle away the time instead  of doing useful work
      
      Edit. It's a pity it doesn't allow a user to suggest things like age, and other attributes.

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      Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Now this is so scary.
      
      How many people might actually not be who I think they are???
      
      But there are a few interesting items ...
      Like what I might look like when I'm older...
      Or one coming soon...detecting lies.
      
      I just wonder...
      What does this place do with the information you give them.

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         AliciaCposted 21 months agoin reply to this

         I agree. Artificial intelligence is scary. It’s an impressive use of technology. The fact that someone looks at something online and thinks that it’s a real person or a human creation when it was created by a computer is misleading, though.

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            Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months agoin reply to this

            Exactly...
            How many people are being misled and actually might lead to potential danger.

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               PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

               I don't think that's necessarily an AI issue, though. People have been using photos of others online for as long as I can remember.
               
               It might be because they're nefarious, or because they want to appear younger, older, more attractive, or whatever.
               
               My photo is real. But if there was a reason I needed another image, I would just use one of the many stock images that are in the public domain.
               
               AI is really an unnecessary complication.

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      CYong74posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      With all due respect, if having a facial pic is to establish trust, isn't using a fake picture the very antithesis of the purpose? What's more, an AI generated one.
      
      There might be no intention to ever meet anyone via this channel. But who knows? Anyway, it's still a form of catfishing.

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         PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

         I would always use a real pic of oneself if that's at all possible.

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            PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

            AI sounds like fun, but if there was a reason that I couldn't, or really didn't want, to show my face, I think I'd just use a public-domain image that corresponded with my gender and age.

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               CYong74posted 21 months agoin reply to this

               I don't think that makes any sense at all. Either you use one or you don't. Using someone's face just to have a face is plain bizarre. And obsessing over an act instead of comprehending it.

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                  PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

                  Yes, it's odd to me, too.
                  
                  I was involved in writing before the internet. If you're in the public domain as a writer, it's always been normal to show your face.
                  
                  The other side of it, though, is that people just don't trust anonymity online. That's often justified and not entirely irrational, in my opinion.
                  
                  That said, there are certain people who have good reasons for not wanting to show their true identity. I think it's worth exploring potential solutions.

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                     CYong74posted 21 months agoin reply to this

                     I too have been writing before this online writing business, and no, it is not what I encountered. Revealing your face is not a must, nor a norm, nor rare, nor arcane. It depends entirely on what you write for and whom you target. And how you brand yourself and your content.
                     
                     But perhaps we mix in different circles and lead different lives, and will never come to any common ground.

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                        Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

                        There may be some valid reasons why someone doesn't want to reveal their facial identity. Whenever I change my profile picture, I will use my photo, not anyone else's. The problem is not about being famous; I simply don't want to show my facial identity. 

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               Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months agoin reply to this

               I will use my own identity.
               I suppose there are a few valid reasons one might have to use another one.
               
               I certainly don't have to worry about being so famous that people bother me when I'm out in public...
               But if I ever do write a great novel...
               I'd want others to know me...not a magic picture.

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                  CYong74posted 21 months agoin reply to this

                  I think that makes you the only person so far who has presented a frank and coherent, and straight forward reason as to why you want to do it.
                  
                  I look forward to seeing your novel in the bookstores one day.

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                     Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months agoin reply to this

                     Thank you...I'll let you know when that time happens.

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                  Moondot1822posted 21 months agoin reply to this

                  You are a beauty, Brenda. I have decided to use my photo as my profile picture for some time just to examine the outcome.

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                     Brenda Arledgeposted 21 months agoin reply to this

                     That's great...I'll look forward to seeing the real you.
                     Take care

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   eugbugposted 21 months ago

   They have a database so they harvested faces somehow like bodysnatching from real people. I've asked them, so let's see what they say about their Frankensteinian activities.

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      PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

      Deleted
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         eugbugposted 21 months agoin reply to this

         Hopefully they did this and didn't just steal faces. I notice one of their programs allows people to upload selfies that can be manipulated. Maybe the TOS small print says that those faces can be used as they desire.

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            PaulGoodman67posted 21 months agoin reply to this

            Oops, I deleted my comment. Sorry.
            
            I was going to change it to just "There are plenty of facial images in the public domain."
            
            I'm terrible for messing around with my words after I post!

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