Do you ever 'share' your Real Life image?

Morning great pals!

I was wondering what the thoughts were of my Second Life chums on the sharing of your Real Life photo with people that you trust in Second Life?

During my 4 months in SL I've received photos of the Real Life people behind three avatars that I've met and on each occasion I've been pleasantly surprised as to how it seems to have a positive effect on my communication rather than a negative one which I would always have expected it to.

On each occasion I've sent a pic of me by return, and dont get me wrong, I'm not pretty. I'm not the sort of guy who cant wait to show the world how gorgeous he is. I'm shy in RL and would rather skulk around in the shadows than skip around in the spotlight.

But every time I've seen the person behind the avatar I think it has enhanced the experience of speaking with them in SL.

At the risk of staring an arguement, I dont like doing voice (I know I know I know) basically because I know I'm more confident in groups by type, and I dont like my scouse accent (Liverpool) and I wouldn't just walk into the Hangout for example and shout "Hi everybody!! Look at my photo!!" but i was just wondering if any of you guys had ever exchanged photos and how was it for you?

Is photo sharing a boon or a menace?

A photograph does help to give people a feel for the 'real' person behind the AV of course. I know what you mean about enhancing communication. I dislike voice too and have exchanged photographs with 3 people, the same as you.

However, there is the issue of personal safety that I am acutely aware of, and so those I have given my photograph to are people I trust implicitly. Three very special people in 15 months of SL experience.

In two cases (the two guys I gave a photograph to), it was actually post-relationship. We had been close in one way and then had moved on to become close friends. In the couple of relationships I have had feelings have run very high. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving a photo in those circumstances, and potentially fuelling that still further to something I couldn't control.

But in the cosy and fuzzy post-intensity afterglow, it was nice to exchange photos and see the real person that you shared those experiences with.

This is just me personal take as always. But it's worked for me.

And Sandy, you are a very nice looking guy. Don't you ever forget that.

KA x

Take it or leave it.

~Lana Tomba

Hi Sandy

Hmm, at first I did not show any RL pics in my second Avatar. My first one is pretty puplic anyway, for promotional reasons (representing a RL company in SL). But the second one I had for SL only, for fun basically. Didnt want that anyone recognises me when being somewhat naughty . You know the SL is SL and RL is RL idea.

But recently I thought, come on, thats bullshit, if you meet a person you want to "see" something of that person to get an idea. Hence now I have a RL pic in the profil and in my SL house. And yes, it does improve comunications. A pic doesnt harm I think, the person that see's me in SL will not travel the whole world to find me...

I still dont share much RL personal data of course to anyone. I limit that to age (40isch), region I live (Spain), status (married), education (psychology), current field of work (online marketing). For more i really need to know someone well and why would one want to anyway

How can you "like" an avatar only.....

Regards

Maggie

No. I wouldn't subject anyone to my photo; I'm not that cruel

Seriously: I have a couple of SL friends added as FB friends, and so they will of course have seen them. Poor things.

I wonder if all RL photos are genuine, just a thought.
Love June

Are you trying to suggest that I'm not Brad Pitt's twin?

Nope, no way. If you're a two headed blue squirrel with wings then that's what you are to me and I'd like to keep it that way. I had two friends send me their pics unsolicited and it creeped me out. They weren't bad looking at all. One looked exactly like I would have imagined she would, but I didn't want to see those pics.

I have many wonderful friends in RL. So many that I get frustrated keeping up with them all. I have the same problem in SL. But I do want to keep my RL friends separate from my SL friends. I choose to be in each world for different reasons.

Yes it like when you hear a real voice in Voice it spoils things.
That's why I not use Voice.
Love
June
PS
Hate it receive a photo of a penis!

Oh my god!

I've given my RL pic to some girls is SL - usually as a means to put them off me (seriously), but so far it hasn't worked. It should work, but it hasn't.

For me, seeing someone's pic makes a world of difference because, from that moment on, I'm dealing with the real person in the pic, and no longer with what I imagine them to be. If there is some romance going on, an RL pic can enhance or destroy it. But that's me.

No.Like Brad said, RL and SL are 2 seperate entities.

Sandy, I think that the Scouse accent is just gorgeous, I've always loved it....

I used to have my RL photo on my profile, but kept changing my mind and taking it off again. I still can't make up my mind about the issue. I kind of agree with what Bradley said... If you have a completely fantastical avatar, maybe a dragon, bear, fairy etc...whatever, then I think that's how people would like to percieve you...and maybe a RL pic would take away for the fantasy slightly. Then there's the issue of privacy...'what if someone starts stalking me'....or you may be worried about privacy and safety issues... which are all valid issues, but in my case, there's myspace, where my RL name and pic are plastered all over it.. I'm a RL musician and as everyone knows, we can't get enough publicity.. ego-maniacs every one of us.....

Which reminds me of a little 'singer' joke:

What's the difference between a terrorist and a female singer??
You can negotiate with a terrorist!!

How many female singers does it take to change a lightbulb??
15...one to actually change the bulb and 14 to stand around saying 'it should've been me!

No - I'm not here in SL for that! My RL can use MSN, Facebook, Yahoo, whatever for taking about themselves. Here in SL, I take the lead and it's not my place to go blabbing about RL. There was a RL pic up in my home for a while but I took it down again.

You should suggest that he buy a better one instead of using the 1 prim freebie.

I make an effort not to befriend girls that aren't open about who they are in 1st life.

I once hurt a girl by allowing myself to become fond of her before properly seeing what she looked like in RL. She did have a pic in her profile but it must've been at least 20 years old. DOH!

SL is scary!!

Then the only way you can be absoluteky sure is to meet everyone in person. And you only do this for girls?Seems a bit shallow. So SL is just a dating servvice for you? Which is fine, if that's what you want.

SLuniverse has several RL picture threads. No big deal.

I hate guys.

They're all just shallow assholes.

I've shared my RL photo with only 2 people, and not before getting to know them very well and they both, gave me their photos before I gave them mine.

For me personally, I enjoyed knowing who was at the other end and it did help me bond in a different way with these people. I know for one of them, it enhanced it substantially. (won't say which). I mean, I'm cute, but I know I'm not a goddess. But for some reason, for him, I was

As a women, I would NOT have shared first, or at all unless they had made that first move. In neither case was I concerned about being stalked in RL. I had already moved beyond that point, had real friendships with these people. I don't use Facebook, Yahoo, etc, whatever to spread my life around (I'm too old for that stuff), so if I choose to share my RL info in the confines of SL, in a private moment with a friend, so be it. I don't specifically role play here, I am, more or less myself, albeit, I AM a goddess inworld

And Sandy, as your friend, if you want to show me yours, I'll show you mine

I wonder if ANY RL photo is genuine.

Voice or no voice
Photo or no photo
Furry or human
Pixel sex or not

It's all your choices and none of them will likely change my opinion about some one. However, demanding one or more of those choices from me will have a negative impact.

No prob with sharing my pic - I don't post it in my profile- seems silly to me- but if asked I will share- and I like seeing the people i talk to - guys or girls, no diff I like even in YM having the cam on when chatting with peeps. I confess to vanity though- I will go do my hair and freshen make-up for a cam chat

And I love voice

And Pocket you're gorgeous anyway

My rl friends already know what I look like. If I am giving you my picture, you're going to be my rl friend and of that there is NO doubt - that means I will be recognised and that's that. That's my stance on it. I don't want to see RL pictures either unless I am going to be meeting that person.

What I have usually found is with people who have at least partially based themselves on reality I can see the likeness (as well as the augmentation) in their avatar afterwards.

Course, anyone can send any picture. So then you have the women who are really men sending a picture of someone they know or basing themselves on their sister.

Voice does help verify gender (those who are going to cite voic changers clearly haven't heard them) and there are many people who have webcams and use those too.

All about how real you want SL to be. SL itself I prefer to take on face value until it's clear someone is deliberately lying to me.

My friend Viv sent me her picture way back in the mists of time. I thought ... "I know her" and then I saw the picture of her RL husband and thought "I know him!". Then they both recognised me as someone they'd met out and about on the BDSM scene ... and a rl friendship was born which would maybe not have happened outside SL purely because of geography. Two years later the mad woman still hasn't learned her lesson and run for the hills

I have a RL photo in my profile, and if it ever comes up, I will share more with people I really like. In fact, I have my Myspace address in my profile--there are a ton of RL photos and personal information bits.

My attitude stems from a seamless connection between SL and RL--however, there are quite a lot of people that not only prefer anonymity, but need it--these people would never share a RL photo with you. They do not assimilate their RL persona with their SL one...

Either way, it's all up to choice. SL is a great vehicle for either attitudes.