Each time that I’ve modified my blog theme, I’ve left off a picture of me on the front page. Each time I leave it off, I get a ton of emails and comments asking where it is! I’ll never make that mistake again – it’s fascinating to me how much feedback and personality it brings to the site. I’m not narcissistic by any means, I do struggle with putting photos of myself on the site. However, I absolutely recognize how difficult it is to build a relationship with someone you’ve never seen.
If blogs are conversations, how do you have a conversation with someone you can’t see? I have to admit, before embedding my smiling mug in the header, the site really did look quite generic. I wonder how much impact a smiling face has to the growth of the blog. Surely it has some impact.
The glamor shot above was taken about 4 years ago while I was working for a dot com in Denver, Colorado. I’m heavier, grayer and softer than I was in that terrific photo. That photographer had a lot of talent! It’s a shot that I’ll keep around on the site for quite a while. Unless of course I get back in shape (other than pear). I joke with people that if I had to jog or ride a bike to run my laptop, I’d be Mr. Universe. Surely science can catch up with us to provide us a healthy lifestyle of keyboarding, pizza and late-night programming, can’t they?
Meanwhile, I’ll keep the glamor shot up. When I do get to meet you, you’ll see the same smile there – though the face isn’t quite as handsome.
😉
The Changing Role of Internal Communications in Corporate Communications
What exactly is the role of communicators in the corporate world now and what should it be? What’s changing and what needs to change?
Doug,
Congrats on the new design. Very nice, and clean.
(And now the advertising link goes to a simple text page that says it will redirect me to the right page. Instead it just keeps re-loading itself. Is that a Mac problem?)
Hi foo!
Fixed! It was just absolutely terrible redirect code that I wrote and didn’t test.
Doh!
Yep. Now it works. You probably want to add a “not” into your re-direct page 🙂
What would I do without you guys?! Thanks!
even with the name change your “mug” makes it feel like a comfortable place to come to.
Thanks, Steven! That’s definitely what I’m going for. All are welcome… except the mean ones!
Doug! Great improvement!
I was going to say ‘Ditch the suit and get back to the jovial image you had before’, and then I thought for a second… perhaps two…
Ok, do we really need another guy in a suit talking about technology and marketing? ALTHOUGH, do we really want to read about technology and marketing from a slacker in a sweater (old pic)?
So, what do we do? We need a combination of the first pic with you laughing, and the second pic – but without the tie. The whole ‘Friendly/Funny, non-stuffy, yet still professional’ look and feel.
But hey, it’s your call, and you’re still x1000 braver than I for using a headshot in your header. (I’m going to stick with my safe ambigram header until I overhaul… again…) 😉
Okay, keep in mind this is coming from a guy who has a cartoon of himself in his header, but like William, I liked the “laughing Doug.” But unlike William, I want my technology and marketing from a slacker in a sweater 🙂
It’s a great picture though, and the overall look is awesome – crisp, clean, but bold.
I like it.
I’m laughing in this picture! Laughing because I’m curious how much touch up it’s going to take to make me look presentable.
😀
Tony’s Vote: Laughing Doug.
My Vote: Laughing Doug.
Vote now! 😉
Tony: I know your blog very well now – yours is being SOAP’d as we speak by Robert Hruzek (middleszonemusings.com)! About an easy task as doing this one was! (should be a good month in the therapy industry)
I got the same thing from the picture of my cat. 🙂
At what point does it reach cult status?
engtech, that’s fantastic!
I don’t have a cat. I have a Jack Russell named Cooper and hunt down and kill all those cats. 🙁
all this talk of smiling faces and cats got to me so I decided to add a sidebar widget of the WinExtra mascot about half the way down LOL .. damn you guys for all this warm and fuzzy stuff 🙂