Is your Facebook profile picture a current photo of you?

[Skald the Rhymer]

If not, why?

[Antinor01]

It is of me, but it's a couple years old. (2008 I think) It's not more current because I normally hate photos of myself and it's one of the few I actually like.

[torie]

Yup. It was taken less than a week ago. I've still changed my hair since then. I change my hair a lot.

[Loach]

Its from 2008. Nice and far away too.

[kenner116]

Me from 2005 (http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v22942/182/121/n31501179_8609.jpg). It has been my Facebook profile picture for five years. Why not change it? Because I am hugging a giant panda, and I love looking at that adorable creature (The panda, not me!).

[kittenblue]

Me from 2005 (http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v22942/182/121/n31501179_8609.jpg). It has been my Facebook profile picture for five years. Why not change it? Because I am hugging a giant panda, and I love looking at that adorable creature (The panda, not me!). But when people are searching for Friends, and search on your name, they kind of want to see you face more clearly when the pic is small so they can see if you are who they hope you are...I thought that was the purpose of the profile pic. Save the pics of other things and group shots for your albums!

[MsWhatsit]

Yes, mine was taken about two weeks ago.

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Me from 2005 (http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v22942/182/121/n31501179_8609.jpg). It has been my Facebook profile picture for five years. Why not change it? Because I am hugging a giant panda, and I love looking at that adorable creature (The panda, not me!).

:: so jealous so jealous so jealous ::

I LOVE pandas!

[Tortuga]

I can only think offhand of three of my friends who actually use photos of themselves as their profile photos, everyone else has pics of their babies or vehicles (cars, planes). For a while it seemed like every female friend had an ultrasound image as their avatar, it was a bit spooky as reduced so small the pictures looked a bit like old crime scene photos, chalk outlines photographed at night and scanned in from an old scratched polaroid.

ETA: My profile photo is of my face, although I share the frame with my much missed dog. I have a common name now and I don't want to waste anyone's time with erroneous friend requests anymore than I want to waste my own.

[BigBertha]

Its a Lolcat because its better looking than my picture.

[Mona Lisa Simpson]

Its a South Park style 'toon of me. Full of rage, dressed as a nurse, holding a hypodermic syringe. Keeps people nice and scared of me. LOL

[TheChileanBlob]

My cat is a lot more photogenic than I am.

If I have a big toothy grin I look positively insane. If I smile with my mouth closed I just look insipid. If I have a neutral expression I look pissed off. If it's a candid photo, I invariably have a stupid look on my face and am in an awkward pose. I can't win.

[Joey P]

When mine is me, it's usually a somewhat recent picture. But often times it's not me, it's Dayman or Greenman, or The Maxx or Steve Holt etc...

Which put me in an odd situation. A few days ago, I got a friend request from one of my Dad's friends (we have the same name). Now, the picture at the time wasn't me. He may know that my dad isn't on FB, but I get the feeling he thought it was my dad. I'm just ignoring the request for now. I don't want to put him in the odd position of having to say "Oooooh....nevermind then"

[alice_in_wonderland]

Mine is a picture of my cat reading an Indian take away menu.

Why? Because it's my cat. Reading a take out menu. How could I not?

[Little Nemo]

Nothing personal, Skald, I just think apoplexy is a fun word.

[dalej42]

It is a bit over a year ago. It was taken at the NFC championship game in January of 2009. I use it as my profile pic most of the time.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Nothing personal, Skald, I just think apoplexy is a fun word.

Apoplexy is a GREAT word; that's why I used it.

[Q.N. Jones]

It's a picture of my sister's cat. I got in really close and she took a swipe at the camera, so my profile picture is of a pissed-off cat with claws extended, reaching out to slash the viewer. It's much cooler than a picture of me could ever be.

[Eliahna]

Mine is a picture of my daughter because she's way cuter than me.

People can't search for me by profile picture anyway; I've locked down my privacy settings so only my friends can see my profile pic. Combined with my common-as-dirt name and I'm invisible to anyone I don't want finding me (you need either my email address or to spot me on my friends profiles to find me).

[Covered_In_Bees!]

I was prepared to answer no, because it is more than a year old, but apparently that's current. So yes, my Facebook profile's picture is a current one. I look exactly the same then as I do now so it probably won't get changed for a good while either.

[campp]

I use about half a dozen and change them occasionally. One is not me, the others are.

[Neptunian Slug]

Its a picture of me and Mrs. Slug from New Years

[as_u_wish]

I don't have any pictures of just me that are more recent than 30 years--they're all family shots. It seems a little vain to have one taken just for my profile. There are plenty of pictures of me in photo albums if someone is curious.

[thirdwarning]

The current one is not me at all, it's my two daughters and a cousin. It's there because I thought it was cute, and I thought they might like to see it.

In the next few hours or tomorrow I will probably change it to one of me from yesterday. My graduation picture. Yay!

[Bambi Hassenpfeffer]

Sometimes it's a picture of me. Sometimes it's a picture of Roseanne Conner from an early episode of Roseanne. Right now it's this (http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v228/483/66/n1048631385_3305.jpg).

[MsRobyn]

I have an icon that I did on the Mad Men site that sort of looks like me if I looked like Rose Marie from the Dick Van Dyke Show. I have photos of me that I've used, but since an old boyfriend found me, I've decided I don't want to be as findable, and having a non-picture picture helps.

[amarinth]

I'm somewhere between non-photogenic and anti-photogenic. I've taken some very pretty photos of other things, they end up in my profile photo.

[Infovore]

It's my cat, because she's much cuter than I am. :)

[ZenBeam]

Wow, I'm the only one without a Facebook picture? I've taken several, I just haven't got them off my phone onto my PC to upload. I'm sorry. Even my sister is complaining....

ETA: It will be current. Unless it takes another five years for me to upload it. Then it won't. My son's picture is our dog....

[Tethered Kite]

My picture is current but I rarely use facebook. I was lured in by a friend who is apparently addicted to the site and does all her communicating there and very frequently.

Within days of setting up a home page I suddenly had way too much communication from, it seemed like, half the people I ever talked to online or knew in life. They wanted me to do silly stuff with them and told me in detail things I didn't care to know about them.

I have this old-fashioned notion that when people address me it is polite to respond in some manner. If I did that with everyone who speaks to me at Facebook it's all I'd have time for and I have places to go and things to do. ;)

[Not a Platypus]

No, it's a picture of a baby platypus. I don't currently have any pictures of myself that I like and the platypus is very cute. If people are unsure if I am who they hope I am (and I don't have a common name), they can do what my aunt did and send me a message asking pertinent questions to confirm.

[Glory]

Current - from my wedding (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30774511&l=18f5500393&id=1401845193) on Feb 20.

[dangermom]

ATM it's of my kids, but usually I have one of me that's pretty recent. A little while ago I put our wedding photo up for a couple of weeks when we finally got it scanned in.

[NinjaChick]

Nope. It's currently a snow leopard, lying contentedly on the ground with its tail in its mouth like a giant fuzzy toothbrush. In the past I have been many animals, a handful of paintings, and I think probably three or four logos.

Either you know me in real life and therefore know what I look like, or you don't, and you don't get to know what I look like. Also there's no such thing as a good picture of me and I'm terribly terribly vain.

[Anaamika]

I have current-ish photos on there, but my profile pic is not. It's a pic of when I was dancing at 17, and I like to think it's what I always am, inside, and on my best days - smiling, confident, and adorable. Heh. either way, it was requested by a friend.

[Kyla]

Mine is a picture I took in the Philippines in March, of a fisherman steering his boat by pole as the sun sets behind islands in the distance.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

It's a picture of my face when I was cute, which occurred during a brief period between 6 and 10 months of age.

[BigT]

I actually would have answered no, but a five year timeline does just barely fit. My profile picture was taken in either late 2005 or early 2006. In my photos section there's one of me from 2008 with my family, and that's the latest.

I'm not too interested in showing the world what I look like now. Dealing with the depression and anxiety, I haven't really had time to fix up. At best I look like Lionel Luthor on Smallville.

[dogbutler]

Mine is 3 years old. Maybe I should update it with the one from last year showing my playoff beard.:D

[Ephemera]

Mine is a picture of my legs and feet (http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs377.snc3/24155_387871302870_618567870_3824739_828167_n.jpg) from June, 2007. It was taken at my first Bonnaroo, and I'm attending my third in a few weeks.

[Lanzy]

Facebook? Why is anyone on it?

[rinni]

Mine is quite recent, about a week or so old. It's my face and the top half of my body. It's not very close up though, so although you can see me clearly if you actually go look at the picture, you probably wouldn't be able to tell it's me from the thumbnails. Ah well, that is fine with me!

[Autolycus]

My facebook profile pic is Michael Bolton from Office Space. I get compared to him about once every 6 months or so, therefore I want partial credit. The last option was tempting too, b/c it's a great choice.

[Maiira]

Mine's about a month old, so yes. I should replace it with one showing my face, though. (The one I have now is to show off my new short haircut from the side.)

[Enginerd]

I didn't vote, since there's not an option that really describes my pic and I didn't want to give Skald apoplexy. It's a picture of me (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v367/97/5/670329456/n670329456_1040444_6611.jpg) (among other things), but it's taken from too far away to make out my face. It was taken three and a half years ago.

[Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party]

Mine's a couple of days old.

[Yllaria]

It's a year or so old, and a close-up of my face, but I'm wearing tinted mad scientist goggles. So I'm not completely recognizable.

[ScareyFaerie]

My profile pic has nothing to do with me at all. I don't photograph well and I can be bothered faffing about trying to make a pic look good for a bunch of random strangers.

[Ranchoth]

I'm trying to find a good picture to use. Actually, I was probably going to photoshop myself standing on the deck of an unbuilt warship, or something. :D

[Biggirl]

None of the choices fit. It's not a picture of my face but it does have to do with my face.

It could have been my face back in second grade. (http://stuntgranny.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/buckwheat.jpg)

[Wallenstein]

Mine's a year old - haven't found a nice one to change it too, and I look pretty much the same.

[lshaw]

I haven't changed my picture since I opened up a Facebook account five years ago. In my defense, I still look the same.

[PapSett]

Nope, not me at all. It's my 4 dogs, all piled on top of one another. It's a very cute picture!

[yojimbo]

Nope.

It's http://www.arts-wallpapers.com/movie_wallpapers/yojimbo/yojimbo.jpg. When I set it up I didn't have any pics of me online and just couldn't be arsed taking one and uploading it.

I'm not that into facebook and have posted/updated it about 4 times in two years. Don't really know why I set it up in the first place.

[Mona Lisa Simpson]

I changed my picture seeing as Im job interviewing and all. I now have a nice normal picture of me, taken three years ago at a scenic local point. *yawn*

[Sigmagirl]

Mine is a cartoon character that my husband says reminds him of me. I think I'll change it to a current photo for a while.

[RedWood]

it's a pic of my hand holding my kitty's paw, taken eight months ago.

so yes, current, but not my face. :D

[Omar Little]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web, or...

2) They are insecure about their current appearance and don't want people from their past to see what they look like now.

[melodyharmonius]

Yup, mine is of me and my bf from February of this year. We were dressed up in steampunk for our friends Victorian wedding. It's the same one used on the SDMB photo gallery (http://nouilles.info/sdpix/75725.html).

[RedWood]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web...

yes! thank you ;)

[Anaamika]

Facebook? Why is anyone on it?

Because I find it's the easiest way to communicate with my cousins and uncles and aunts in India? I can't afford the long-distance charges.

[Shakester]

My profile picture isn't my face (it's one of my guitars at the moment) but there are recent pics of my face that are available for viewing in the "see pictures of Shakester" section if anyone wants to see what I actually look like.

I changed to a not-me pic because I got sick of looking at the pic of me that I used to use. I'll probably change back to a pic of me when I get sick of the pic I'm using now.

[sandra_nz]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web, or...

2) They are insecure about their current appearance and don't want people from their past to see what they look like now.

Doesn't explain the vast number of people (mostly women, in my experience) who put a photo of their kid as their profile pic.

[Enright3]

I don't have any pictures of just me that are more recent than 30 years--they're all family shots. It seems a little vain to have one taken just for my profile. There are plenty of pictures of me in photo albums if someone is curious.

It's not vain. Just turn your cell phone around and take a picture.

[Enright3]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web, or...

2) They are insecure about their current appearance and don't want people from their past to see what they look like now.

I would agree with this, except my post would have only have listed point #2.
Yes I'm sure there are people who don't post because of point #1... by IME #2 is the reason of the people I know.

[Gyrate]

Currently mine shows me looking very bored at work, taken a week or so ago. Before that it was a picture of me holding up a large closeup picture of a basset hound, making me look like I had a dog head. Previous pictures have been holiday photos, a snowman version of me (last winter) and a closeup of my screaming mouth. Whatever mood I'm in at the moment.

[Gyrate]

I would agree with this, except my post would have only have listed point #2.
Yes I'm sure there are people who don't post because of point #1... by IME #2 is the reason of the people I know.If Internet security is that much of an issue, Facebook may not be the best place for them to be.

[Nefarious Chipmunk]

It's the same picture I use for all my profile pictures. It is from 2008, I believe.

[ZipperJJ]

Mine's also the same as I use for all my profile pictures (I have it in my profile here). It's B&W and my dog is in the shot too. But it's a great picture of my face, and my dog is part of me anyway so it works just fine. It's from 2007.

One of the Dopers I'm friends with has a picture of duck confit as her profile pic and it's starting to ruin my appetite. It's a roll of meat! lol

I hope she comes in and confesses :)

[control-z]

Once again no poll option fits me. My face is there, but I'm in the distance. Not much detail.

[PsyXe]

I was all prepared to vote for non-current picture, but I find I'm still current after all! My profile picture is 4 years old and I keep it up because it's me with my dog as a tiny puppy, which is too adorable to replace with anything else.

[RedBloom]

I change my profile pic often, but it's NEVER of myself. It's usually a bird or something inanimate. I despise seeing pictures of myself, especially smiling... it triggers some violent reaction in me!

[capybara]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web, or...

2) They are insecure about their current appearance and don't want people from their past to see what they look like now.

3) There are a million other more interesting/amusing things to use as profile pics that can communicate more about a person than a mere portrait.

[choie]

I don't use a pic of myself, for reasons that fall under both of Wilbo523's rationales. Instead, I use a version of this print (http://www.globalgallery.com/enlarge/26028/), which is quite possibly one of the most heartachingly cute cat photos I've seen.

[Tom Scud]

My current facebook photo is a head shot, and less than a year old. However, it was taken with no flash, in a dimly-lit room, and I'm wearing a glow-necklace around my head (right under my nose). So I'm not exactly recognizable.

[PatriotGrrrl]

It's a cartoon avatar that looks a little like me. I enjoy changing its looks, clothing, and background. I can be a cowgirl one day and a pirate wench the next.

[Audrey Levins]

Mine was taken last week, at the beach with Mr. Levins.

The only time my FB pic isn't of me is when I take a particularly good picture of one of my catsharks. In which case they get prime time for a little while. I enjoy compliments about my handsome catsharks.

[SciFiSam]

Mine is of me. It usually is. Once it as a picture of the young Queen Mother, for doppelganger week, but when I mentioned this to my friends they had apparently not realised it wasn't me.

Some of my friends don't put a picture of themselves as their profile pic for insecurity reasons or because they have a different picture they feel is funnier and/or more 'them.' Occasionally I do that too - a lolcat, a painting, whatever.

Security/privacy isn't the reason, though, because there's always the option to make your picture not viewable to anyone but your friends.

[Oredigger77]

Mine is a picture of my smoking a cigar and drinking a beer on a hotel balcony in Australia from a vacation 3 years ago but you really can't make out my face very well. It there because it was a good trip and I haven't taken any cooler pictures since.

[Rahne McCloud]

Mine is my baby picture, I had a current pix of me but I recieved some interesting offers from several people that I didn't want.:eek: I then changed my privacy settings before all of the hullaballoo, so that only my friends can contact me.:D

[Silver Tyger]

Yes, although it's a few months old. I tend to change mine every few months and 99% of the time it's a picture of me.

[Layla01]

Yes, it's a couple of years old. I rarely have good pics of me so when I get one I tend to hang onto it.

[Serenata67]

Mine is a picture of my husband and me on our honeymoon... about 6 months ago. Decent looking picture, too.

[EvilTOJ]

After getting negative comments that my hair is too long, I took it down and now it's the Myspace logo.

[Miss Mapp]

It's a picture of me, taken last autumn; my face is in it, but not seen all that clearly since I'm standing at some distance from the camera with a scenic background behind me--a misty valley and some mountains in northern Wales.

[Smeghead]

I've only ever used one photo. It's a picture of me, but it's with my back to the camera, so none of the options really fit. It's a good picture of the scenery, though, which is why I used it.

[Sonnenstrahl]

I have a picture of a cat nun (http://www.tvbabble.com/userimages/user2448_1165288201.jpg) from Doctor Who. My friends who know I'm obsessed with nuns (in a scholarly way) and love cats think it's hilarious. The people who don't know probably aren't looking at my profile.

It helps that I appear to be the only person with my name in the world, so anyone looking for me wouldn't need a photo to guide them.

[Katriona]

I think there are two primary reasons why people do not put a current picture of themselves as their profile pic on facebook.

1) They are concerned about internet privacy issues and don't put any pictures of themselves on the web, or...

2) They are insecure about their current appearance and don't want people from their past to see what they look like now.


3) Or just getting silly with it; in the last few months, mine has been a piece of my tartan for Tartan Day in April, a ridiculously cute picture of my dog, and currently it's the cover of The Official Preppy Handbook, just for fun. It'll probably change shortly as soon as I get a decent pic of myself with my new glasses.

[gwendee]

I change my picture fairly often. One in the rotation is very nearly current. The one I think looks most like me is about 5 years old now. The others are me as a kid, related to my work, or some image chosen to entertain the people I believe ever actually look at those sorts of things.

[jlasserton]

I change my picture usually each season. Each season I usually take a trip or do something fun, so I take pictures during those times.

[Dr. Woo]

I don't have any pictures at all on Facebook, nor anything else that isn't absolutely required. I don't use it that often for one thing, don't have any digital pics of myself for another, and am apparently not clever enough to come up with an alternative image (like a cartoon dog or a platypus or Antonio Banderas or something).

I'm pretty lame.

[congodwarf]

No. My facebook photo is a pic of one of my dogs yawning.

Why? Because it's a cool pic.

Also, as a pale redhead who does not wear makeup, I do not photograph well so the only good picture I have of my face is from 1997. I could put on some makeup so my features don't disappear in the glowie paleness but I really just don't care enough. Besides, my puppies will always be cuter than me. Oh and there's no chance in hell that someone else has the same name so if you find me, you were looking for me.

[MegaBee]

Yes. It's a picture of me charging my power ring.

[Enright3]

3) There are a million other more interesting/amusing things to use as profile pics that can communicate more about a person than a mere portrait.

Or so those people would like us to believe.
3) There are a million other more interesting/amusing things to use as profile pics that can communicate more about a person than a mere portrait. (aka see #2)

[Enright3]

3) Or just getting silly with it; in the last few months, mine has been a piece of my tartan for Tartan Day in April, a ridiculously cute picture of my dog, and currently it's the cover of The Official Preppy Handbook, just for fun. It'll probably change shortly as soon as I get a decent pic of myself with my new glasses.

I think this is a good distinction for a choice #3. There are definitely some people who NEVER post a picture of themselves (even if it IS because "here are a million other more interesting/amusing things to use as profile pics that can communicate more about a person than a mere portrait"). However that is the difference. I change pictures on these things when the mood strikes. USUALLY it's a different picture of me. Slightly less usually it's a current picture of me. However at various times I've had pictures of me as a teenager, etc. Currently on facebook I have a picture of my daughters.

[Projammer]

Me in my riding leathers with my motorcycle from about 6 months ago.

Of course, with the whole motorcycle in the pic, there's not enough detail for me to be anyone but generic amused biker dude.

[FallenAngel]

Nope. It's a picture of my Italian mastiff mix. I think it's a pretty shot and I like it.

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Nope. It's a picture of my Italian mastiff mix. I think it's a pretty shot and I like it.

Show us your doggie!