There are no real regulations for a profile photo for social media sites such as Facebook, but there are guidelines for a good profile photo.
First impression
Neutral gaze, mouth closed and looking straight into the camera. These are just a few examples of rules that an official passport photo must comply with. On social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn there are no real regulations, but there are guidelines for a good profile photo. A social media profile picture is public. Everyone, not just your network contacts, can see this photo. So think carefully about what you want to radiate. There is only one chance to make a first impression. So will it be that of a cheerful Frans or a grumpy Sjaan?
Which network?
Not all social networks are the same. Is it a business environment or a close-knit group of friends? Your Facebook contacts often consist of friends and acquaintances from daily life, (former) colleagues and perhaps some people you have encountered online. The percentage of ‘unknowns’ is much higher on Twitter and Instagram. And on LinkedIn you will mainly find business contacts. Keep this in mind when choosing a photo. So a holiday snapshot on Facebook, but not on LinkedIn.
What or who is on it?
Provide a profile picture that includes yourself. That seems obvious, but it isn’t. There are still plenty of people who post a picture of their pet, or with another person in it. In this way it is not immediately clear who owns the account. So don’t! Unless you have something to hide or would really like to have your picture taken with your pet or grandchild (be sure to ask for parental permission). But it is better to use these kinds of photos as a cover photo on Facebook, for example. This is also public and offers much more space.
Here too, there is a difference per network: on Instagram and Twitter, nobody will mind if you do not use a self-portrait as a profile picture. On LinkedIn and other professional networking sites, on the other hand, you can forget about many contacts if you don’t use a profile picture of yourself.
Also, do not use photos where it is clear that someone else has been cut off. Connections start to wonder who was cut off and why. Is it an ex-partner? A friend you’ve already got on with?
Quality and size
Most networking sites work with square profile pictures. However, most cameras shoot in a 2×3 or 3×4 ratio. To get a square photo, a piece has to be removed. Although this is done automatically when selecting the photo, choose a photo where something can still be done. Don’t feel like cutting? Set the camera to square while taking the photo and you immediately have the ideal size.
Perfect picture
Provide sufficient (natural) light when taking a photo and shoot from an advantageous angle. Shooting from below is out of the question: this way you are guaranteed to have a double chin. With sunglasses on a profile picture, you can’t really do it with good decency. Unless your name is Jules Deelder of course! A calm background also works wonders; moreover, not everyone needs to see the clutter in the room.
‘Do it yourself or have it done?’, that is the question. A selfie is fun and you are in control. You know exactly how you get in the picture and when you print. Giving up the reins and letting someone else take the picture is difficult, but it also produces unexpected and more spontaneous images. Maybe your ‘bad side’ will turn out to be your best!
The perfect photo is nice to look at, but it is also technically good. The image is sharp and has sufficient pixels. Success? Then you’re not done yet: Facebook compresses photos above 100Kb, which degrades the quality once they are online. So keep images small and possibly save them in png format. One of the major advantages of PNG over jpg is that it uses ‘lossless’ compression, so there is no loss of quality.
Alternatives
Fancy something different? With a temporary profile picture or Facebook you can let the picture expire after a certain period of time. When this temporary profile picture expires, your profile picture will automatically revert to the previous profile picture. Nice during a birthday or on another special day. Another option is moving image: with a profile video you add up to seven seconds of image to your public profile.