@JamieJBartlett “My profile picture is of me, standing in Waterstones, staring point blank close up at a copy of my book The Dark Net, which was for sale in there. It’s a ridiculous photo. I chose this because I am of course trying to sell copies of my book, and so this is an easy way of reminding people that it’s out there.
“More generally the choice of a photo is quite a difficult one. I don’t like those which take themselves too seriously – for example pictures with celebrities or on the television – as I think it looks too much like brazen personal branding. Although we’re probably all at it anyway – I definitely use Twitter to self promote – I guess I prefer to do that in a more subtle way. I also think part of the benefit of Twitter is that it allows you to share things about yourself so others can see what you’re like, and therefore I usually prefer a mildly humorous or slightly silly picture than something too serious. But, of course, it also needs to be recognisably me.
“I’ve not really ever thought about how often I change it, it’s only in answering this that I realise I have changed it at least half a dozen times. That is nothing more than getting a bit bored at seeing the same photo over and over again! One final point: as interesting at the photo is the biography people describe themselves with.”
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