A recent survey details exactly what not to have in your online profile pictures if you don’t want people to automatically hate you.
Surprise! It turns out people are just as shallow and endlessly judgmental on the internet than they are in real life. According to a study by Online Reputation management firm Reputation 24/7, it takes the average person just five and a half minutes to judge a fellow human being by his or her online profile, compared to the nine and a half minutes it takes in real life.
If you want people to like you, or at least not end up hating everything about you within 60 seconds of opening your picture gallery, you should avoid uploading pictures that contain: cars, boobs, rude gestures, angry facial expressions, alcoholic beverages, hugs, Photoshopped elements – seriously, no one likes those lens flares – and cartoon characters. Subjects more likely to invoke a positive response are: sensible-looking friends, wedding photos, pictures of children (hopefully yours) and shots taken on a beach, though that might clash with the “no boobs” rule. Smiling is good too.
As old and grumpy as the survey respondents may seem, it’s sound advice. In an age where any potential employer can type your name into Google and come back with a terrifying amount of information, perhaps updating your Facebook profile with that picture of yourself in blackface doing a keg stand at last year’s Halloween party isn’t all that wise.
Source: The Mail Online
Published: Nov 9, 2011 02:40 pm