Written on December 19th, 2007 at 06:12 am by Darren Rowse
Using Your Own Picture in Your Blogging
Do you have a headshot handy that you could send to a media organization quickly?
Today I got an email from a rather large media publication requesting a picture of me for an article that they might include me in (they were being a little cagey and wouldn’t actually say if I was ‘in’ or not - so I won’t say who it is).
The email was marked ‘Urgent’ - they needed my picture as soon as possible as they were on a deadline.
Luckily for me I have a few head shots that I was able to send off within a few minutes of the request hitting my inbox - but it reminded me of a similar request a few months back when I didn’t have a suitable picture handy and ended up being left out of an article that could have brought significant exposure.
I learnt my lesson from that occasion and got a photographer mate to take some high resolution and professional looking shots.
Having a set of quality pictures of yourself can be a very useful thing - for a number of reasons:
1. Media - while some media outlets will send their own photographers to get a new and unique image of you - many will not - particularly if you are not close to them. Similarly - having your images readily available on your blog means that they’ll get used by other bloggers also. I regularly see my ugly mug on some blog or another when people write about something that I’ve written. This can be both good and bad (depending upon the shot that they choose to use) - but it’s mainly good and can add to your personal brand.
2. Personal Branding - putting your image on your blog will not be for everyone - but I’ve certainly learnt the power of it over the past few years of ProBlogger. These days my image is down in the footer (although there is one slap bang in the middle of my home page - on the video) but for the first 2.5 years of this blog it was right up the top. The impact of this was quite powerful in terms of a personal branding exercise. However this is not for everyone - some bloggers want to brand their blog more prominently than themselves (for example at DPS I don’t include my picture - in fact I don’t even include my name on posts). It depends upon the objective of your blog.
3. Adding a Personal Touch - Having said that I don’t use my image on DPS, I do use it in my weekly newsletters where I include the image to the right in one of my sections. The reason for including it is not to promote myself - but to give the newsletter a more personal touch. Interestingly the week I started doing it I had 10 or so emails from subscribers that specifically mentioned it. Sometimes having a face to put to writing can add a new dimension to your reader’s experience.
Of course using your image online can have some dangers and risks and will not be for everyone. I I’m comfortable with people knowing what I look like, but I know many bloggers choose to blog more anonymously - and this can be a good thing also.
73 Responses to “Using Your Own Picture in Your Blogging”
Chris Vincent
December 19th, 2007 6:29 am
Well let me be the first to congratulate your on your “maybe” included article. And hey, as usual you’ve been able to report this in style with quite a bit of information to go with it.
BW
December 19th, 2007 6:29 am
No head shots for me. But then again, am I likely to get a request for one… doubt it.
Hope your requested head makes it to the article. Keep us all posted.
Sunny Daydreame
December 19th, 2007 6:51 am
I have one photo that I use for all my profile pics and everything. I can do a pretty good “face only” crop of it, so if anybody ever wanted, I would use my standard profile pic, for branding. Kind of like you and that green shirt.
sir jorge
December 19th, 2007 6:53 am
You make it look halfway decent, I’m not sure if I would look as good putting myself out there like that.
vhxn.com
December 19th, 2007 6:54 am
Hi Darren I am the second to Congratulate you , Nice photos with you i like that personal touch photo cool, Happy Blogging
- http://www.vhxn.com
Chris Garrett
December 19th, 2007 6:56 am
I think it is a great idea to always have a pic on hand, but I also advocate using your photograph on your own blog too. One of the things I miss from Performancing is the thumbnails of bloggers, we had to turn them off as it was an additional stumbling block to getting people to contribute. Having a picture is one more way to increase the connection between blogger and reader.
Max Powers
December 19th, 2007 6:56 am
I will never be able to post a picture of myself for many reasons including that of privacy but I do use an avatar pictured as a clown when needed.
So much for the chance of large scale exposure if they require a photo of myself.
Omar Yesid Mariño
December 19th, 2007 6:59 am
I think that “Adding a Personal Touch” is very important if you want to use social marketing to promote your blog… in these days, people want to treat with people online and not with some anonymous website.
FashionByJenni
December 19th, 2007 6:59 am
I’m always anxious about putting a picture of myself on my blog for safety reasons. Is there certain things you do to keep safe while posting your photos?
Michael Grove
December 19th, 2007 7:01 am
The last 1-2 years if have had som photos on my PC, to urgent use if nessesary. It’s a nice thing to have, you never know when your gonna need it ;)
MyBlogContest
December 19th, 2007 7:22 am
I don’t put my photo in my blog contest blog:P
David Bradley
December 19th, 2007 7:37 am
I seem to have littered the web with my mugshot, it’s almost every where I’ve ever commented on a blog with avatars, it’s on most of my websites. There are Dorian Gray undertones to illuminating a website with one’s face though. I even discussed that very issue in a post entitled How to Achieve Blogging Immortality in which I referenced you!
db
johno
December 19th, 2007 7:39 am
Just arrived here via your twitter; makes me wonder whether twitter is the new ‘RSS’.
I certainly wouldn’t wnt my head shot in my home page, but it does make me think that I should include a good one somewhere. I’ll talk nicely to a photographer friend; I wonder if she can make me look like Johnny Depp…
Joe
December 19th, 2007 7:46 am
I usually don’t include pictures of myself mainly because I don’t think anyone would want to see my mug. haha. This is a good thing to consider though.. I may make use of my photo booth application.
Ed
December 19th, 2007 7:46 am
I’m curious as to what the best medium would be. Certainly a nice photograph, but black and white? Color? Artsy?
Part of me imagines there being a camwhore aspect to it all, but my experience is likely tainted. Often enough in physical publications author photographs are presented alongside their work.
Kevin
December 19th, 2007 7:48 am
Its definitely something I’ve thought about doing, but I really don’t like my head as viewed by my iSight camera and my arm is just not long enough to take my own pic. Its something I want to do. I think it makes people think you’re more of a real person and less of a random internet blogger.
Mike King
December 19th, 2007 7:48 am
I definitely agree with this post Darren. Its up to each blogger but I know I personally prefer to see a face of who I’m reading from, especially an author of a book or blog I read a lot of content from. It bugs me when there is no personal info about an author available, now I don’t think its needed on each post but somewhere on the website, its valuable.
Some people even use it in there emails (like headhunters / recruiters) to help keep the face associated since they contact thousands of people and won’t otherwise be remembered.
Great tips!
Dina
December 19th, 2007 7:57 am
A picture of yourself builds trust with readers.
I kicked and screamed about including my mug on the site initially. Ultimately, so many folks said they engaged with the site more and felt better because of my picture that it has been incorporated into my new header.
Now, the picture represents a way to empower other ordinary folks like me to launch their own site or blog. Heck if she can do it…
Maybe I’ll get a new pic taken for the new blog…
Thanks for stimulating conversation as always, Darren.
Dina
Pachecus
December 19th, 2007 7:58 am
I’m using my own photo on my blog header.
David Bradley
December 19th, 2007 8:00 am
Kevin - could try a tripod and a remote shutter or delay, perhaps?
db
Johnny
December 19th, 2007 8:18 am
i like to keep my secret an identity. not sure why..maybe b/c people can base assumptions on just a picture and i rather not have that.
Anthony Lawrence
December 19th, 2007 8:28 am
How odd.. just today I put my picture in the sidebar.. and an hour or so later, this post popped up in RSS..
BoladeProa
December 19th, 2007 8:37 am
I’ll start a blog soon but haven’t decided yet. I’ll give myself 3 more days to decide.
Complete Geek
December 19th, 2007 8:45 am
Not sure if putting my picture up would help me all that much, especially with my ugly mug! Okay, I’m not ugly, but I look more like a lumberjack than a geek that’s for sure.
I’ll try it out though. It can’t hurt.
Mr. Gentlenibbles
December 19th, 2007 9:04 am
Well, there probably will not be headshot eminating from our blog as we are using the freedom of anonymity to discuss the subject of our blog. And though we are aware our anonymity is never truly complete, I do not picture Me or Mrs. Gentlenibbles turning over headshots to the press. Press is good for business, but may hurt the personal life a bit…
Abdul Basit
December 19th, 2007 9:09 am
some people are bit shy about themselves, I dont know why, but its true - :)
Ne ways, nice thing is being mentioned here. I will try to do this.
-abs
Technology Slice
December 19th, 2007 9:12 am
Not everyone is comfortable putting a picture of themselves on the web.
Amanda
December 19th, 2007 9:18 am
I used to be really cagey about having my picture (and at times, even my real name) in my blogs.
These days I find it more useful that readers can put a face to my name and brand, especially as I was often mistaken for a man in the early days of Blogger Buster! (most readers assumed I must be male because I wrote about blog design, code and technical details).
However, I can honestly understand why many people are so anxious about having their identity so openly available. You never know who could be reading your blog!
Jens P. Berget
December 19th, 2007 9:24 am
I used to think that I would never use an image of myself on my blog, but now it’s different for me. I guess it all depends on what you are promoting.
I think it’s very important to use an image of yourself if you are writing a blog. It’s important for your readers to see who you are in order to relate. And I think that a good blog is a personal blog, just like problogger. You need to show people who you are, using your own words and your own images.
Famous Quotes
December 19th, 2007 9:36 am
You got some ‘cute as a pie’ mug shots up there! *LOL (sorry but that’s my weird sense of humor)
JoLynn Braley
December 19th, 2007 9:44 am
I really didn’t want to post a pic of myself on my blog but it does make your blog more personable and I think it even helps readers trust you….you’re really a person behind the blog. Now I only have a pic on my about page (I’ve had one up since I started my blog) and I posted a couple pics in a post before, however if I had some professional head shots done then I would likely put one on my homepage.
Overall I think there are more positives to posting your pic than there are negatives. There are so many who want to remain anonymous online and I think that that can create mistrust at times. Maybe not always, but for the most part I think it’s hard to really get into a blog when you don’t know who’s behind it. Thanks!
Lex G
December 19th, 2007 10:03 am
I think that a personal picture on your blog has tremendous branding value… Getting it right in comparison with the blog mission and branding isn’t always easy, but once you DO get it right it can help the blog RADIATE personality.
serge
December 19th, 2007 10:23 am
good thing I am a handsome guy, otherwise I don’t know if I would have put an actual picture of me on my blog.
Ken Y-N
December 19th, 2007 10:28 am
I have a slightly silly pic of me on my blog, as I’m not comfortable with me as just me, but me doing something is OK.
Having a professional head-and-shoulders for my About page or press releases would be useful, I suppose, but I like the personality my pic projects.
Trula
December 19th, 2007 10:34 am
I keep meaning to get professional photos done. This is a good reminder! especially as I am actively going after media exposure in the next few months.
Mathew Packer dot com
December 19th, 2007 10:47 am
It’s coming this afternoon, now that you’ve reminded me..heh..
I’m going to go with 2 looks, a corporate one and a ‘cool kid’ one and put them on a rotator..
Rinaldo
December 19th, 2007 10:50 am
I’m all in favor of putting photos of myself since I want to let my readers know who is doing the articles, but is there any disadvantage to put your photo in your blog? (Besides being shy or something like that)
Kathy
December 19th, 2007 10:59 am
I recently moved to WordPress, and during the transition there was a period of time when my picture wasn’t up in my sidebar. A few people asked me “Where’s your picture? I miss your picture!” It was a reaction I hadn’t expected. Apparently my picture is not only my identity, but part of my blog’s as well.
Mark Gibson
December 19th, 2007 11:00 am
The trouble is that, in photos I always look like I just got out of bed!
Where I’ve had to use a photo of myself, I keep it small so as not to scare the kiddies off ;)
Maritzia
December 19th, 2007 11:02 am
Good Goddess Almighty….I *hate* having my picture taken and hate even more people seeing it *laughs*.
I am thinking about a site redesign, so maybe I’ll consider putting a photo up somewhere. Can’t imagine it on the front page, though.
Making Money Online World
December 19th, 2007 11:19 am
I too hate having my picture taken-they always seem to come out looking like some Imposter (” who is that man-thats not me”) i might try one on my footer page too- one day-(maybe) ; )
Rodney Olsen
December 19th, 2007 11:22 am
I’ve got a few shots waiting but no one seems to ask for them.
I guess that’s why I work in radio. It doesn’t really matter what I look like. :)
Sabas
December 19th, 2007 11:37 am
I’m too camera shy to post pictures of myself on the internet. Only recent photo of myself was from two or three years ago..
How2Blogger
December 19th, 2007 11:53 am
I wish I could use my photo on my blog - but ever since that sex video…
Empowering Success
December 19th, 2007 12:08 pm
Just a quick question for ya. If that is a professional shot, why is the top of your head and the bottom of your chin chopped off? Really, I am just wondering, I thought a full face shot would be much better no?? Oh, and yes, I do have a head shot, but to me it doesn’t matter because I hate any picture of myself.
Ron Killian
Stephanie
December 19th, 2007 12:21 pm
I don’t have good headshots of myself posted many places. I do have one I consider to be adequate, but most pictures of myself are from more of a distance.
Some blogs I like being a little more anonymous than others.
Chris Pund
December 19th, 2007 12:29 pm
I agree that a picture makes for a more personal feel when you pop into someones blog or website. I have been trying to find a local photo place that will take a couple professional shots and release them to me digitally but everyone just wans you to purchase regular prints!
Kelvin Kao
December 19th, 2007 12:44 pm
I don’t know about blogging, but I know, as someone that’s been auditioning around for performances, I know that headshots are very important. Sometimes they even ask for a headshot even though you are just auditioning for a voice actor part. It just helps people recognize you and recall things that’s associated with you.
Chris Brogan...
December 19th, 2007 1:07 pm
I totally agree about your point. I tend to just use my macbook to snap shots in photo booth and fix them up a bit, but I use a picture as often as possible with my posts, and quite often, pictures of me.
Side note: I use Flickr to host my pictures. Bill Keaggy, author of Milk, Eggs, Vodka, used to be a Flickr friend until he got sick of looking at my head instead of my formerly interesting photos in my feed. : )
Great point, and hey, nice headshot! : )
pablopabla
December 19th, 2007 1:37 pm
Coming from Malaysia and having posted some critical articles on the Government of Malaysia in my personal blog, I prefer to remain anonymous (picture wise) for the ever present fear of being detained under the Internal Security Act 1952. When you have laws which allow detention without trial for people deemed to be a threat to national security (as defined by the Government), you do get a little wary of posting your picture for all to see.
Chris Jacobson
December 19th, 2007 1:49 pm
I should really get some updated shots of myself done. It’s been about 2 years since my last photo shoot.
Pete
December 19th, 2007 1:59 pm
Wow, there’s something to think about. I’m a very touchy person when it comes to my personal identity on the web. To be honest, I have never used my full real name or my full real info or my full real picture. Maybe it’s a good idea for me to face the fact that a headshot might be better.
Marlon Burrows
December 19th, 2007 4:01 pm
Adding a mug shot certainly makes things more personal. However I might have to do the tight crop and cut off the top of my head like your shots to hide my bald head. Otherwise I might lose readers!
Jummy
December 19th, 2007 4:11 pm
My first reaction was to say “Well, when I get famous, I’ll put that on my to-do list” but getting media attention isn’t only reserved for those who are famous. After all, someone’s got to be able to say “I was following them before they were big and I have photo evidence!” so that’s a great idea!
Reno
December 19th, 2007 5:11 pm
It can be kind of intimidating having your picture out there for everyone in the world to see. I just recently did my very first EntreCard raffle with a video. It felt weird seeing myself on my blog in a video at first. However, sometimes I feel readers enjoy a break from all the text and a video is easy on the eyes.
Su Young Park
December 19th, 2007 6:07 pm
Great idea! A blog is really a personal space between you and the world and having a professional photo of you will go a long way in establishing your identity. Although I’m camera shy I know I need to do this and I hope to find the courage to accomplish this goal! Thanks for the great article!
LintCollector
December 19th, 2007 6:12 pm
A photo does make a site more personal, but I’m a bit shy and privacy conscious.
My compromise is to use a minimal number of low-res or partial-face shots. Enough to give an impression of the human behind the web page, but not enough detail for mis-use.
Sam Nova
December 19th, 2007 6:36 pm
We don’t see that many blogs with pictures of the blogger, some even don’t have any ‘real’ personal info and that just makes it all so unpersonal.
Comment for Jummy: For me (and probably for a lot) it is not about been ‘famous’ but to add a personal touch to the whole blog!
I do have a photo on my blog, both in the about but also a ‘drawn’ one for the top of the blog (header). Sure that picture is not a photo but it is very much me (Lack of hair, glasses..)
What all this reminds me of, maybe it is time to get a update picture and not use a 6 year old one (Sure hair cut didn’t change much..hehe). So time to get the digi camera going.
kickstyle
December 19th, 2007 9:27 pm
Adding a worth reading blog to my Google Reader is like a mini-blogo-happening. Rolling with the blog let’s you create unconsciously an exact profile picture of the author and the blog enjoyableness becomes complete when you find out that your judgment matches the real author portrait. Аutomatically this blog turns into a favorite and the reading of every new article is always marked with the vision of the cool dude who is running it.
So I completely agree – get personal, add your photo, win your audience.
As my intention is to have a dedicated pro author for each main category of my blog project I will definitely create a separate Authors section with smart profiles & pictures for even reinforce the idea.
Artur Kim
December 19th, 2007 9:56 pm
I just have a picture of me in the about page of my blog.
Darshana
December 19th, 2007 10:35 pm
One thing that frightens me to put up a picture of myself is the age old saying of ” first impression matters”.If I don’t get a particularly acceptable quality photo, I may turn off visitors to my blog. Eg: They may think you are too young or old to write about what you are writing. This is more true for first time visitors, loyal reader will know better since they know the type of quality content available.
Any Ideas on this?
SpicePuppy
December 20th, 2007 12:50 am
Using your picture on your blog is a personal choice, but I think it’s important to consider the media thing. If you found out today you were going to appear in an article, and they had to have a picture right now or you wouldn’t get in, how would you feel? If you’d want to appear in the article but don’t have any picture you can use, then you know what to do!
tish
December 20th, 2007 2:02 am
Darren –
I’m a big believer in personalization of a blog — but prefer not to put my own photo on my blog for a variety of reasons. However, I do put up a pretty nice caricature of myself which has become my “logo.” For my purposes, it’s ageless but not faceless and gives my readers a sense of who I am.
But I love it when other bloggers put their photo on the site — helps me connect to them visually. It’s a good thing.
Guru
December 20th, 2007 4:13 am
Your pic is pretty good though, and the pic i have on my profile is usually one that i cropped from a group pic, but still that does fine for me .. For the few 10’s of people who visit my blog that will be fine.
Tom Bonner
December 20th, 2007 4:14 am
I think the whole privacy thing is somewhat overrated — unless you are blogging under a pen name or you are afraid your employer might object to what you have to say, few bloggers have anything to worry about for having their photo appear on their blog.
Consider celebrities. Sure, some of them get tired of having the press hound them all the time, but most of them realize that the more their face and name appears, the more well known they will be. The more well-known they are, the more they can charge for speaking engagements, acting roles, articles, singing, etc.
Most bloggers probably won’t have fans demanding their autographs when they dine out, but a little fame never hurt anyone’s bottom line.
So, I will continue to post my picture any respectable place someone might see it. I don’t have anything to hide and I just might have something to gain.
Tom Bonner
http://alpahatracks.com
Javed Khalil
December 20th, 2007 5:27 am
I will have to admit. Darren’s way of blogging is different, genuine and lovely like always. I love to read new posts by problogger. Personal touch idea for web is great. I am going to be habitual for problogger posts.
netvalar
December 20th, 2007 12:29 pm
Not sure if you were aware though if not you will be anyways so maybe I should just not say anything hmmmmm? Naw Netvalar has major problems keeping his mouth shut as was proven yesturday with the Sellaband and amazon partnership.
Darren is on the web celeb 25 list put out by forbes I learned about it from this blog
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/blogging-is-more-mainstream-than-ever/
Paul
December 20th, 2007 2:55 pm
Some big names there. Congrats.
http://tinyurl.com/22w2rc
. . . and I liked the way you worked that into an article ;-).
Shaun
December 21st, 2007 2:42 am
For personal blogs, or a site with many authors, this is a great idea. Also, keeping the image up-to-date is a must. It’s no good if you don’t look like the person in the photo anymore.
Ruchir
December 21st, 2007 6:44 am
I have plenty of my pictures on my PC and yeah, I do use my pic on my blog (om my about page only, though) as I believe it helps in branding…
Nelson
December 21st, 2007 8:32 am
No i don’t have. I don’t like to much show my picture on web.
Dave
December 21st, 2007 11:54 am
Whenever I take photos of myself for the blog or other purposes I always seem to look miserable. If anyone knows the secret of taking self portraits without having to grin inanely please do let me know.
Guardian Angel
December 23rd, 2007 12:53 pm
Thanks for this post, Darren. Finally, I was convinced to put my own picture on my blog. In fact, I made a post where I enumerate one by one all the advantages of doing so.
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