I’m too old now to pretend to be something I’m not #TheProfileProject #12

I’m too old now to pretend to be something I’m not #TheProfileProject #12

by | Jul 18, 2016 | #TheProfileProject | 0 comments

Paul Taylor AKA @PaulBromford tells the story behind his Twitter profile picture: “In my early days on Twitter I kept the same avatar for a long time. I think because my profile was part of my ‘professional identity’ I played it safe and did one of those slightly cheesy and non-threatening smiley headshots. “I completely forget who it was, but someone messaged me and said that they loved my Twitter stream but my avatar looked like I was trying to sell them something! I was mortified at the time – as that kind of snake oil sales account is the exact opposite of how I wanted to be perceived. “Since then I’ve changed my avatar fairly regularly – depending on my mood and what’s important to me. I’m not too concerned about professionalism anymore – if my posts and tweets don’t speak for themselves I’m happy with that. I’m too old now to pretend to be something I’m not. “My current avatar was taken outside Angkor Wat in Cambodia at about 6 in the morning – it’s why I look slightly dishevelled. I love travelling and especially South East Asia. Most of the work I’m currently doing is around communities and empowering people to make change. I’m fascinated how some cultures – especially ones like Cambodia who’ve been to hell and back – harness the power of community to solve problems, often in the absence of paid ‘professionals’. “Next week though – it could be me with a robot.” You can find out more about #TheProfileProject here and connect on Twitter...
We do not communicate well with our younger generations #TheProfileProject #10

We do not communicate well with our younger generations #TheProfileProject #10

by | Apr 23, 2016 | #TheProfileProject | 0 comments

@FakeThom tells the story behind his Twitter profile picture: “My profile picture is a cartoon graphic representation of me to primarily accompany my YouTube channel, matching the channel’s artwork and house style. It was created by a friend William Leeks and kindly donated to my channel to help get it off the ground. The image depicts me in a white coat with a yellow stethoscope and blue hair, representing my real-life job as a children’s doctor in Scotland. Although I do not wear a white coat day-to-day, it helps add to the identity in the cartoon version of myself. “As a children’s doctor, I’m concerned we do not communicate well with our younger generations, who are light years ahead of us with how they access and consume information online. My vlog channel aims to deliver health education to the YouTube generation in an entertaining and informative way, with teenagers being the target audience. Currently my videos look mainly at mental health, but also include topics such as sleep. Future videos will expand into sex education and other health-related content that commonly affects adolescents. “A side project of the channel also uses Minecraft to deliver information to a younger audience. My profile picture will sometimes change to a blocky Minecraft version to promote this side of my output. The cartoon version of me you see in the profile picture will occasionally have changes in hair colour if I have recently dyed my hair, or will have a background colour change to hold interest. The bold and outlined nature of the Saved By The Bell-style drawing is eye-catching at thumbnail size so works well...
*I was angry, very angry* #TheProfileProject #4

*I was angry, very angry* #TheProfileProject #4

by | Jan 17, 2016 | #TheProfileProject | 0 comments

Sue Sibbald tells the story behind her Twitter profile: “I was angry, very angry because a psychiatrist had told me I had a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder but the therapy I thought would help me was not available to me. My local mental health NHS trust did not provide it. “I was on Facebook at the time and discovered many other people could not access therapy of any sort all over the country so I decided to get active and set up a Facebook page to try to campaign for better services. I thought better to channel my anger in a productive way. “I thought up the name one Sunday afternoon, it was a bit of a eureka moment – Borderline Personality Disorder Fighting For Services or ( For F***s sake) It still makes me giggle because it’s a bit naughty, provocative, challenging. “I soon went on to Twitter and began to tweet about the lack of services and in doing so made friends. I found my peers and that mattered. “I decided to use the fist as my avi as it signified the fight, against lots of odds and it just felt right. I think it showed my anger also that was bubbling up inside. I often say I am driven by my anger or how unfair life can, be but I change it into something positive. “A funny story – the first fist I used I nicked from somewhere but the guy found out so my now wife Julie made this one for me. “I subsequently set up a tweetchat  called #BPDChat and this is still going...