Janet Lee Johnson | The Art of Marketing

I just stumbled a post by Dwayne Melancon over at Genuine Curiosity called “Picture of the Day” that had a great graphic of how to be productive every day. Ironically, a picture popped up on my screen that I really didn’t like at all - my profile, according to StumbleUpon:

Do I really want to simply be described as a 51 year old woman from Oregon, USA in my profile? (Hint: check the headline of this post.)

I’ll fill out profile information for just about any social network site I subscribe to… but never have I had one “mix” my profile information quite like StumbleUpon does. Sure, it’s truthful and transparent. I am a 51 year old woman who lives in Oregon.

But I would never describe myself that way to virtual strangers, would I?

Believe me, I’m not ashamed of my age or where I live. I love my life, my age, my home, my sweetheart, our dog, family and friends… pretty much most things about me, with the exception of my muffin top, which I’m really trying to control through yoga and my eating habits; and a few long-held beliefs that still hamper me. (TMI, perhaps but I’m really not afraid to share. It’s true. Just ask me!)

Just Ask Me

As more people find their ways into social networks, those who develop them must begin to think more about helping their users profile themselves, and create the best possible scenarios for them to do so.

Give me an option as I sign up (e.g. prompt me through a wizard), and I’d describe myself in a much more compelling manner.

• In StumbleUpon, I have to search to find my bio preferences. No. I should be prompted through them as I register.
• In StumbleUpon, the “Display my age” box is automatically checked. No. I should be able to “opt in” to show my age.

My fault for not setting myself up properly in the first place? You bet. I wonder how many others have just gone through the minimums there until they’re hit with their very own “picture of the day?”