I have been thinking about this for a while. Perfume of Life is a place I am pretty familiar with now and have become comfortable in. A place to feel safe, and among friends. I am not very impulsive and usually think about something for a while before doing it.
My husband looked over my shoulder recently at someone's avatar and said, "I can't believe someone would put their picture there. I said, "Well, it's done. It's a pretty common thing now." I think many people are now over much of the hysteria and secretiveness about putting anything about yourself online that was more common when we first got the internet, in 1999.
I know many people here have posted photos; others are holding back. Would love to hear thoughts and opinions from you all.

I don't use a photo of myself as my avatar but if you look at my profile, you should be able to find a picture of me. I've never had any problems but I'm not one of the more visible members here.

If you don't mind millions of strangers seeing you, and what that might possibly create, then fine.

I did it once; I won't do it again.

I don't know. Some people think it's a bad idea, but I've never been able to see the link between a picture and someone being able to extrapolate actually physically locating you from it. Maybe I'm missing something obvious. I personally really like seeing everyone and I don't think most people here would be anything but gracious if you posted your likeness. Your decision in the end, of course.

PS People can really post a pic of just about anyone and say that it is them, though...right? You never really know unless you've met someone, I suppose. I could really be a 70 yr old man.

<<Snort!>> And some days, I'm pretty sure she IS a 70 year old man!!

Fulltilt, what happened?

People don't realize how many "clues" they give out as to who and where they are. There have been many cases of people being stalked online. A friend told me of a message board she used to post on, where one member discussed a client at her work. She didn't name names, just mentioned how this client was a general pain in the butt and gave funny examples. Another member of the same board put together all the info from many years of postings by this member, called her boss and had her fired! So post at your own risk, I say.

Rebecca, I'm glad you've posed this question. I came this close (thumb and forefinger meeting) to putting a photo of DH and me up this past summer. But then I got cold feet. Much as I absolutely love seeing all of you, I'm a bit skeered to do it. I feel like a party pooper, though.

What's the worst that could happen? I'd really like to know.

Well, what has happened is that someone decides they don't like you, or they want to make sport of you, and they copy your picture and use it to make you an object of ridicule on a bash board, or by photoshopping it onto other people's bodies, or using it as an avatar on other sites and posing as you while saying stupid things. I know those things have happened. I have also heard of people photoshopping someone's picture into porn scenes and making sure it will show up on Google under their real name -- nice for a prospective employer, or your in-laws to run into, hey? ... none of that is the end of the world, but it's not nice.

No problems here. I'm pretty low-key as a rule, and don't participate here often enough to make a very fun target.

Did you read my post just above yours?

I rarely let people take pictures of me so I don't usually have any to post, but I probably will at some point. "Real life" is at least as likely to produce someone who wants to fire me for what I say or stalk me.

Frankly, I'd have to give anyone kudos for finding me here, rather than using other, more to-the-point social networking sites where they could select me out of my hundred million or so peers who also identify themselves online. Internet anonymity is more of a generation gap issue than a safety issue. Both sides of the gap have their points, but not many people know enough about computers and networking to really remain anonymous to a motivated party.

I say if it even gives you a twinge of concern or discomfort, don't post them. There's something to be said for the mystique of an avatar... even if inquiring minds could hunt the person behind the avatar down if they really wanted to. ;D

I am careful what I tell about myself and where I post my picture - but I am NOT paranoid. If you just remember that when you post something in the internet, you can't take it away. At Facebook people share lots of private information and I am not sure about that... Sending a photo here seems harmless enough and I did not have problems doing it.

A good example of "stealing" a picture is what I did in the recent US women vs. UK women thread: I found a picture of a woman wearing an reconstructed ancient Bronce Age dress and posted it here saying that all women in my country look like this. It was supposed to be a joke but she might be upset if she saw it (my apoligies for the lady).

If you post your photo in a friendly, harmless group, think that it might end up being used in a totally different context. If it bothers you, don't post it.

Maybe I'll pull mine. Maybe not, I dunno. I should probably get worked up and worried about it, but to be honest, I have so many other things in my life to stress about, I don't really think about it.

I hate every photo ever taken of me anyway, and that's probably reason enough.

I'm curious about what some of you look like. Sometimes it's more fun not knowing.

A while back, we had a thread going where tons of us posted our pics.

That thread is still there--it's pinned at the top. Lots of great pics of all us good lookin' folks. ;-)

I'm in this camp. I run screaming at the sight of a camera as a result.

I posted my picture once in a small, familial forum. It has disappeared into the ether since and I doubt I would do it again.

Aw, Izzy, you're breaking my heart. You mean that your avatars aren't really you? ;-)

I'm not that attractive!

HUH? What's the big deal?

And if I posted my real picture as my avatar, I could no longer convince you that I look like Grace Kelly.

You know there will always be screwed-up individuals that will attack someone's looks if they can't find an intelligent criticism of their target that actually holds water. I've read mean comments about my looks among a myriad of other things on a bash board as well. My take on that is that it actually has the opposite effect of making the person posting look like a complete @ss. Also, the person that I suspect is guilty of doing this also presumes alot of other really outlandish things about the target of their ire. Oh yes....it was said that I was probably actually a man..had no sex life...exaggerated tales of my phenomenal acne condition and claims that I had pustulent boils all over me not to mention practically a full beard ...... really mature stuff that I should take seriously, right? LOL

I used to be completely opposed to posting any personally identifiable information (including "real" pictures) on a public forum. But then I took a good inventory of myself and decided that I could probably benefit from identifying with my "real" self rather than cooking along with personality that I don't actually have in "real" life. I can be very brutal in print, and I wanted to stop that, so I started identifying myself publicly with the things I wrote. It worked. Really. And it's not that I have greater faith in those who post what appears to be a real picture, though I do find it interesting to connect a face with a name. In my case, it's a way to come out of the closet and be more than my in-print self used to be. So I switched all my witty screen names to some variation of my "real" name, and took responsibility for what I really like and really don't.

I really like what you wrote, Heather, and I identify with being "brutal in print" because I think I come across alot less warm than I actually am. Also, I think that's why I've always used a variation of my real name as well - I don't differentiate too much between who I really am and my online life. That's why the whole concept of trolling has always been really odd to me - I don't see the appeal.

When my daughter becomes a famous musician, you can all say 'I saw her first!".

I've been cyberstalked before the days of boards and avatars. I knew who was doing it, and was fearful for my safety. I don't get the willies posting my pic here.

I disagree, Sharil. You come across as very authentic, and that has its own warmth. Then there are those who are authentically cold and mean, and there's a big difference. For those of us who are naturally on the chilly side, it can be a challenge to warm ourselves by the guiding light of others.

Then again, it's really very satisfying to flame someone to shreds who seems to be begging for the fire. And it's a lot easier to do that if you don't have to worry about someone digging up your real home address and sending you a decapitated bunny or something.

Shoot...I've always pictured you as a beauty anyway, Twitch.


I definitely don't think that posting a personal pic gives any more of an air of authenticity to a person's posts than not. For example, if I'd never seen Sharil's pic, I feel I could pick out her post in a group of anonymous comments because I feel her authenticity. Same with many other people here who have never posted a photo.

I like knowing what people look like, but at the same time, I respect anyone's option for me not to know.

Mwah!

You, of course, *are* a beauty, darlin'.

I find the honesty and openness of POL to be very refreshing. This is a truly great forum, folks.

1984 was a few years back!

Teddius


P.S. - That's why I'm wearing the hat and sunglasses.