A Social Network for Men with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or Pain

Pictures or avatars: new policy change?

Everyone, one thing that has always bothered me about Fibro Guys is that only about 5-10% of members add a picture or avatar to their profile. Would you walk into a support group with a bag over your head? What about a bar, or church, or any other social event? No, probably not.

One perk the Internet offers is anonymity, but when a website is created with goals of fostering communication, sharing stories, and connecting with other people suffering from chronic pain, I do not believe it is appropriate to hide behind a generic looking silhouette...because you're more than that!

If you do not feel comfortable uploading a picture of yourself, why not upload a picture of something else? A pet dog. Your goldfish. Or any icon or picture you find on the internet that can be used as an "avatar"-- anything that represents yourself. Quite frankly, there's no excuse for not having a picture, and I might make this mandatory in the future (something I would hate to do, but am strongly considering it.)

Any thoughts are welcome.

It is very easy to add or change your picture. It only takes a few clicks of the mouse:

1) Click "Settings" in the upper-right corner of the webpage, below the group of standing men. (It is located under "Inbox")

2) You will now be in your Settings. Right at the top, you will see a Photo section. Simply click "Choose File" and select a photo from your computer to use on the website.

This is all you have to do. Couldn't be more simple.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rick on March 16, 2011 at 9:27am

I hardly think adding a photo to your profile makes one a "computer geek" - if that were true my grandmother on Facebook would be one. But thank you for your feedback, sometimes I forget that navigating a website can be a difficult task.

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Permalink Reply by Debra on March 30, 2011 at 1:05am

I agree I dislike those green boxes with the thingy should be more personal :)

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Permalink Reply by Rick on April 1, 2011 at 3:42pm

Thanks Debra- it's nice to hear that others feel the same way. Apparently, someone was so offended by this though that they quit the site. Geez.

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Permalink Reply by Reverend Kurt fondriest on April 2, 2011 at 7:53pm

I think it makes a more personal reflection of the individual.

peace

rev. kurt

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Permalink Reply by Hans Miniar Jónsson on April 5, 2011 at 2:51pm

I "just" updated my avatar with something a new photo.. the old one was 2 years old.

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Permalink Reply by Rick on April 6, 2011 at 5:12pm

thanks! but at least you had one Hans

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Permalink Reply by joe allen on June 10, 2011 at 6:19pm

I agree with you on the picture thing and also was wondering if you could get more folks to explain their circumstances at the time their fibro was first noticed. I find it very interesting to hear other stories about cause and effect