avatarDoctor Ajit

Summary

The author of the Medium article argues that a profile picture's authenticity is less important than the content one shares on the platform.

Abstract

The article titled "Your profile picture doesn’t matter on medium" presents a counterpoint to the common advice that a real profile picture is crucial for building trust and credibility on Medium. The author posits that unlike visual-centric platforms like Instagram, Medium values the substance of writing over the superficiality of profile images. Instead, the author suggests that passion for writing, community engagement, a genuine curiosity for reading, well-structured articles, and efficient typing skills are the key components for success on Medium. The article concludes by emphasizing that the true attraction for readers is the content of one's mind as expressed through writing, rather than the appearance of one's profile picture.

Opinions

  • The author believes that the essence of Medium lies in the written content rather than the visual representation of the author through a profile picture.
  • A profile picture, while important on visual platforms, is considered secondary on Medium, where the focus is on the ideas and thoughts conveyed in articles.
  • The rise of NFTs and the concept of digital avatars are cited as evidence that a virtual representation can be as significant as a real image in online interactions.
  • The author stresses that the foundation of a Medium user's success is their passion for writing and reading, which enhances the experience of living.
  • Engaging with a niche community and contributing to the platform's quality is deemed more important than one's profile image.
  • A genuine curiosity for learning through reading is highlighted as a valuable trait for Medium users.
  • Structuring articles with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion is recommended for effective communication.
  • Being a fast typist, or a "Keyboard Ninja," is seen as an advantage for productivity but is not considered mandatory.
  • The author concludes that the complexity and depth of a writer's mind, as reflected in their writing, are what truly matter and attract readers on Medium, not the profile picture.

Your profile picture doesn’t matter on medium

Let's dive straight to the topic. I have come across 100+ articles on medium talking about the significance of REAL profile picture on medium as it is important to build trust and credibility among the community. I have a slightly unpopular opinion on this, which is it really doesn’t matter if you have the so-called Real profile picture or not.

Sure a picture speaks a thousand words which are true in the case of Instagram and other visual dominant social media platforms. But medium is built differently. It’s not your face that matters ..what is behind it that matters here.

“You don’t write because you want to say something…you write because you have something to say,” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

If at all you want a profile picture to take part in a virtual universe, you need an avatar — a digital manifestation of yourself. This explains why NFTs are catching up very rapidly.

So what do you need on medium:

  1. Passion for writing: The only reason you hopped over to this platform is.. you are naturally passionate about writing and reading for enhancing your experience of living.
  2. Community: Finding your niche community and engaging with the community and in general making it a better place for readers and writers.
  3. Genuine curiosity for Reading: If you are one of those people who learns new stuff by reading online then this should be a good place to start.
  4. Structuring your article: a simple Introduction, Body of the article and Conclusion should suffice.
  5. Keyboard Ninja: This is not mandatory but imagine if you can coordinate your thinking speed with your typing speed, you can get the job done in very little time and use the remaining time for drafting and editing it to make a good standout article.

CONCLUSION:

It really doesn’t matter if you have a good profile picture or not. The main traction for you is what’s inside of your complex yet not fully understood thing called MIND.

Psychology
Writing
Community
Nft
Illumination
Recommended from ReadMedium